


Twin Boxes

by baeksesoolove (silentlylo)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Angels, Angst, Death, Demons, Exorcisms, Ghosts, Grief/Mourning, Horror, Infidelity, Multi, Necromancy, Occult, Reapers, Rough Sex, Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 20:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 110,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20645027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentlylo/pseuds/baeksesoolove
Summary: A Kyungsoo ghost hunting AU. (With a little help from his human and supernatural friends.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love ghost stories so I thought I'd play around a bit and write a ghost hunting AU. As always, please read the tags and make sure this story is for you before you get started. ;) Also note that this story starts off with ChenSoo but is ChanSoo endgame. Happy reading!

Layers of thick smog accompanied Kyungsoo as he turned the corner of a one-way street, checking his map on his phone and looking up to make sure it hadn’t led him astray again. He adjusted his surgical mask, and determining he turned in the right direction, walked the remaining blocks to the eight-story office building, which stood unoccupied in an otherwise packed corridor of bustling businesses.

Confirming the number on the building, he rang the bell at the front of the glass door. He adjusted his black ball cap while he waited and looked back at the message he had received initially from this client to make sure he had all the information correct.

An older gentleman in a gray suit approached the door then fiddled with the lock, opening it with the mild surprise that most of Kyungsoo’s clients had upon first meeting him.

“You’re the ghost hunter?” The man asked the question a bit brusque, as if not wanting to waste his time with what he probably assumed to be a college student who had gotten lost.

“I am,” Kyungsoo greeted politely and with a slight bow to the older man before saying, “Hello.”

“You’re younger than I expected,” the man stated, motioning for him to step inside, and he locked the door behind them, explaining, “It’s safer to keep people out.”

Kyungsoo nodded and opened his black backpack, pulling out his infrared thermometer and turning it on.

“Your company has owned this building for three years but can’t keep tenants,” Kyungsoo stated the information he had collected from the man when he had spoken to him over the phone initially. “Former tenants cited strange noises at night and things having been moved from where they had been left. One cleaning lady reported she felt she was being followed and thought she saw someone in the hallway watching her. Tenants have broken their contracts and agreed to pay the penalty fee for doing so in order to get out of here as quickly as possible.”

“I didn’t believe them,” the man stated as he pushed the button for the elevator door. “Then one night, I came late at night myself to see what was making the noises and causing the disturbances. I assumed it was old pipes.”

Kyungsoo stepped into the elevator with the man and asked, “What did you see?”

“A large shadow watching me,” the man said. “It’s why I asked you to come during the day. I myself do not step foot in this building at night. I’m losing money by losing tenants. I need the ghost gone.”

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding and followed the man off the elevator onto an empty floor space. He checked his thermometer and noticed the temperature drop.

“Is this where most of the activity has occurred?” Kyungsoo asked as he took out his EMF detector and walked through the space.

“Yes. All the sightings or disturbances are on this floor. Both in this office space and in the adjacent hallway.”

“Is activity always detected at night only?”

“Yes. As far as I’ve heard and noticed myself.”

Kyungsoo nodded again and continued to walk, recording with his camera and audibly noting his readings.

“Do you sense anything?” The man asked as he stood watching him with his arms behind his back, an air of impatience accompanying his stance.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help the feeling of being judged, or maybe just sized up.

“Nothing too out of the ordinary yet,” Kyungsoo told him. “Since he’s a night owl, I’ll have to set up some equipment to monitor the activity overnight. With your permission of course.”

“Yes. Do what you need to do. Just get rid of it.”

It always amused him when people told him to just get rid of a ghost, as if it was as simple as taking the trash out.

Kyungsoo set up his cameras, recorders, and motion detectors around the space, and explained to the man what each was for and their intention as he did so. After assuring him that he would notify him in the morning about the results, he shook the man’s hand and was seen out, hearing the click of the door locking behind him as he walked away.

***

Kyungsoo never cared much for Gangnam, and the way the security guard of the luxurious high-rise condo building assessed him confirmed his thoughts of the area.

“A Mr. Doh Kyungsoo is here to see you,” the man stated into the phone. Kyungsoo adjusted his bookbag strap on his shoulder and stared at the abstract painting on the wall of the lobby. The guard hung up the phone and said, “Follow me.”

He followed the security guard to the elevators and was escorted to the twenty-third floor, then instructed to turn to the right once he had gotten off. Kyungsoo had almost expected the security guard to knock on the door for him, and he walked to the door amused by the half-assed pretentiousness of it all. Kyungsoo rang the doorbell.

“You’re here!” His best friend, Jongin, exclaimed, pulling him into a big hug.

“I’m here,” Kyungsoo agreed, holding him tight in return. “Show me around your new digs.”

“You came at the best time,” Jongin said, leading him down the hallway and to the living room. “The interior decorator just finished the final touches today. You’re going to love the guest room. You should just move in.”

“And live in Gangnam? No thanks,” Kyungsoo said, taking in the breathtaking view of the Han river from Jongin’s living room.

The interior decorator had done a great job capturing Jongin’s personality, bold touches of gold contrasted against the sleek black accents of the leather couches, black-stained woods, and abstract sculptures that exuded the harmony of the opulence around it.

“What has Gangnam ever done to you?” Jongin teased, leading him to the kitchen and handing him a beer.

“I just don’t like the vibe,” Kyungsoo shrugged, following Jongin around and taking in the master bedroom with its equally stunning view.

Jongin then showed him the guest room, which was decorated warmly and a bit more understated than the rest of the apartment. Kyungsoo smiled, knowing that Jongin had probably thought of him when making that design decision.

They headed back to the kitchen where Jongin pulled out some menus from a drawer so they could order food.

“So we’re blond now?” Kyungsoo looked at his friend amused and reached up to flick a few strands of Jongin’s golden blond hair.

“Do you like it?”

“It looks great on you,” Kyungsoo confirmed, but then again, everything looked great on his best friend. Jongin had been born with an effortless beauty that afforded him stolen glances and double takes from strangers and acquaintances alike. His physique was of a dancer, his face kind and sultry all at once, and his skin had a golden tan to it that made him look as if he was eternally on vacation in some tropical paradise. “This place looks great on you too.”

“Thanks,” Jongin said with a big smile and picked up his phone. “Pizza?”

“Pizza,” Kyungsoo confirmed.

They settled onto the comfortable leather couch, sinking in as Jongin put a hand on Kyungsoo’s knee, giving it a good squeeze and smiling at him. He took him in then asked, “So how’s your lead looking?”

“Good so far,” Kyungsoo told him, running his hand over Jongin’s absently, thinking he maybe shouldn’t have missed his touch so much considering it had only been a week or so since he had last felt it. “Doing some surveillance tonight.”

“Ah, no,” Jongin said with a pout. “You should have set up here. Then you could stay the night. I was hoping you would.”

Kyungsoo chuckled and took his hand away from Jongin’s so he could use it to lightly shove his chest instead.

“I didn’t come over to get laid,” Kyungsoo teased him.

“But I miss you,” Jongin teased back.

The problem with Kyungsoo and Jongin’s relationship was that it had gotten complicated at some point, and they had crossed a line that best friends shouldn’t. Unless they were going to be in a relationship, but things had never progressed for them in that direction. So instead, he was his best friend’s booty call and vice versa, which was only a problem when Kyungsoo just needed a best friend.

“Obviously why you followed me to Korea and everything,” Kyungsoo said with a little smirk.

“Obviously,” Jongin said, leaning into him as he got more comfortable and rested his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

But it was a joke. No matter how much Kyungsoo insisted that he didn’t need Jongin looking out for him, Jongin insisted that he needed to do just that. At all times. So when Kyungsoo had mentioned that he had a good lead that meant he’d be heading to Seoul for a little bit, Jongin started looking at real estate along the Han for himself to lease.

When their pizza arrived, they sat on the couch facing each other, Jongin asking Kyungsoo to tell him more about the lead.

“The guy runs a huge company and they’ve got a number of business properties,” Kyungsoo explained between bites. “He followed in his father’s footsteps and took over his commercial real estate business so there’s a lot of history in the family, plus they are avid antique collectors. The property he has me investigating is empty, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t once have something there that might have set a spirit off.”

“And how do you plan on figuring that out from an empty office?”

“There are always traces left behind,” Kyungsoo stated.

He smiled at Jongin who inhaled his slice, and Kyungsoo resisted the urge to touch his blond hair again as he focused on eating his pizza instead.

“Well, your favorite god is ready to be of service,” Jongin stated with a wide smile and reached for another slice.

When Kyungsoo had started building up a bigger team to help him on his ghost hunting quests, Jongin had felt left out and proclaimed himself to be a god.

They had been sitting at the dining table of Kyungsoo’s place in Venice Beach, and Kyungsoo had stared at his best friend waiting for the punchline. Instead, Jongin had pleaded his case.

“You already have an exorcist, a medium, a necromancer, I mean most of the cool titles have been taken, so I’m going to be a god. You can’t stop me. I’m a god.”

Kyungsoo had leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms, giving his best friend an amused look and asking, “What exactly qualifies you to be a god? And why would I need a god?”

“Oh, this is a real interview for the position?” Jongin had sat up straighter. “Okay, well, first of all, everyone says I’m beautiful, and gods are beautiful, so that’s what qualifies me. And, uh, you need a god because you get yourself into really bad situations and someone has to help you out, which is what gods do. Well except when they’re ignoring you because you need to learn a lesson. I’m good at that too though so…”

Kyungsoo had cracked up, and then waved him off and said, “Sure, you can be a god.”

“Nice,” Jongin had said, beaming with pride, and Kyungsoo had watched him spend the next hour or so looking up different gods throughout history as research.

Kyungsoo had figured then that if a god’s biggest purpose was to provide assurance and comfort during times of need, Jongin fit the description for him pretty well.

Now as they finished their pizza, Kyungsoo felt warmth at the thought of how Jongin had yet to disappoint him in his role.

Kyungsoo checked the time on his phone, and Jongin noticed.

“Don’t say you have to leave already,” Jongin told him with a pout. “Hang out with me more.”

“I’ll hang out more tomorrow,” Kyungsoo told him as he got up to go wash his hands in the kitchen. “I need to be focused tonight. Once I know what I’m working with, I can relax a little.”

“Yeah right,” Jongin snorted. “Once you know what you’re working with, I’m going to lose you for real. It’s okay though. I’ve made plans to hang out with Taemin while I’m here.”

“Oh, good. Say hi to him for me,” Kyungsoo said with a big smile.

Jongin had met Taemin in college, and Kyungsoo had gotten along with the quirky guy well enough once they had been introduced. Taemin liked to help Kyungsoo out with ghost hunts from time to time, but Kyungsoo had discovered early on that they were all safer if Taemin helped out in a more metaphorical way. For the last several months, Taemin had been living in Seoul with family, trying to figure out his life or something.

“I will. I’ll let you know where we end up in case you get too bored tonight and want to join us,” Jongin told him.

Kyungsoo nodded at the sentiment and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. He pulled Jongin into a hug, the embrace lingering, and Jongin popped a kiss on Kyungsoo’s cheek then saw him out.

As much as Kyungsoo would have liked to have stayed and spent the night in Jongin’s comforting and protective arms, he had a potential ghost to keep an eye on and a mystery he had to solve, even if it meant another long night of sleeping alone.

***

In contrast to Jongin’s luxurious Gangnam bachelor pad, Kyungsoo’s apartment in Hongdae was more of a single, with just enough space for a twin-sized bed and all of his equipment. He turned on the monitors and pulled his shirt off, then changed into his pajamas and settled in for a long night of staring at screens, hoping something broke the monotony.

Sometimes Kyungsoo found comfort in staring at the static screens, a peacefulness permeating from a scene that lacked activity. But he hadn’t had much luck lately on this particular quest, so instead of peace, he found himself restless and needing something, anything, to reveal itself.

He snacked on a milk bun and stared at the monitors, nothing disturbing the steady stream of the open space and empty hallway. He turned the volume up for his audio receiver, but not a single whisper could be heard. And then, jarring him out of the trance he got into when he paid attention to his monitors, his phone shrilled.

“Fuck, shit,” Kyungsoo said, almost having dropped his milk bun in the process. He saw the picture populate along with the name and picked up. “You scared the shit out of me,” Kyungsoo said.

“Oh, shit, my bad. What time is it?” Baekhyun, his close friend and former ghost hunting cohort, asked. “You know I’m bad with time differences. Did I wake you up?”

“No, I was just doing some surveillance.” Kyungsoo glanced at his monitor. “It’s one in the morning.”

“Ah, okay,” Baekhyun said. “It’s noon here in Miami. The weather is perfect, and I’ve already drank some coconut rum drink on the beach.”

“You’re still in Miami?” Kyungsoo asked, leaning in to inspect a speck on the monitor, which turned out to simply be a speck. He wiped it off.

“I’m never leaving. Don’t judge me,” Baekhyun said. “You can’t ask me to leave such a perfect place. Except for the sugar daddies. They can go. You don’t even want to know how many sugar daddies with Asian fetishes I’ve come across while I’ve been here.”

“Ew, gross,” Kyungsoo said, wrinkling his nose. “Don’t get kidnapped.”

“Don’t worry. Yixing’s with me so I’ve been using the old ‘I have a boyfriend’ trick. Although it didn’t work on one guy who said he was into threesomes.”

“I’m going to have nightmares tonight. Thanks,” Kyungsoo said, finishing his milk bun.

“More like an amazing dream,” Baekhyun joked.

The first time Kyungsoo had met Baekhyun had been in college. They had ended up sitting next to each other during an anthropology class. Kyungsoo had remembered how Baekhyun seemed to know everyone in the class, even though it had been the first day and no one really had met each other yet. He also remembered that he wore a cool pair of ripped jeans with an even cooler baggy shirt that was three times his size and a beanie, his dyed strands of light brown hair peeking out. At least Kyungsoo had assumed his hair was dyed.

After the lecture, Kyungsoo, in contrast to the loud cute guy who was chatting away with another classmate as he shoved his things into his backpack, had packed up his book and tablet in silence, pushing his black rimmed glasses back up his nose before neatly placing his things into his bag. He shouldered his bag and expected nothing of importance to happen. He left the classroom, assessing he had enough time between classes to grab a snack.

“Hey,” the cute, loud, animated guy had said, and Kyungsoo looked in surprise to see that he had addressed him and now walked beside him. “That professor is kinda boring. It’s going to be hard to pay attention without falling asleep.”

“You can always drop it for another class,” Kyungsoo had said, not trying to be sarcastic, but feeling the need to state the obvious.

“I wish, but I need it for my major,” he had lamented.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo had said, still processing that this guy was talking to him.

“I’m Baekhyun by the way,” he had introduced himself with a cheery smile, and Kyungsoo had found it too infectious to not give a shy smile back.

“I’m Kyungsoo.”

“Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun had said, seeming very pleased that he had replied. “People call me Baek, if it’s easier.”

Kyungsoo had nodded and opened the main door to step outside and continue his walk to the food court, which Baekhyun had continued to accompany him to without invitation.

“Are you an Anthropology major?” Baekhyun had asked.

“No, I just have a side interest in it.” He hadn’t been sure how to explain that he had recently gotten into ghost hunting as a hobby and now wanted to learn about ancient cultures and traditions, many of which had a spiritual element.

“Oh, that’s cool. I’m an Archaeology major, so I don’t find the people aspect as interesting as the stuff they left behind, but it’s a requirement. You might have to help me through this class,” he had said with a “haha” laugh. Kyungsoo had never met anyone that actually said “hahahaha” while laughing, which should have been his first indicator that Baekhyun possessed an amusing character.

He now had Kyungsoo’s full attention, and they had gotten a snack together, sitting on one side of a long table and getting to know more about each other’s interests before Kyungsoo dropped the bomb that his hobby was ghost hunting.

“Shut. Up!” Baekhyun had said, loud enough for the entire food court to hear, and Kyungsoo had ducked his head down out of the sudden attention from the people sitting on the other side of the long table. “That is the coolest shit ever. Take me with you the next time you go. I have to go. Kyungsoo, if I don’t go, I’m going to hold it against you for the rest of our lives.”

They had exchanged numbers, and Kyungsoo had promised to take him along with him. It had been that same weekend when Kyungsoo had taken Baekhyun on his first hunt, and what was normally a solitary experience, turned into a fun outing. Kyungsoo had found himself laughing at almost everything that Baekhyun had said and did. It wasn’t until a couple of hunts later that they encountered an actual spirit, and that night had changed everything for them. It turned out Baekhyun had a gift for attracting spirits, and the two college buddies realized that it was time to take their hobby and form a serious partnership.

But now Kyungsoo wished he had never brought Baekhyun into the fold. Everything had been fine until that one night that Kyungsoo tried very hard to not think about. One of many nights.

“Either way, I need your help,” Baekhyun continued on.

“What trouble could you possibly have found yourself in while in paradise?”

“Not that kind of help!” Baekhyun said with his loud “hahaha” of a laugh. “So the hotel I’m in? There’s this insanely cool bandaji chest in here, and I’m so in love with it that I considered options for raising money to buy it from the hotel and having them ship it home.”

“Okay?” Kyungsoo said, leaning in closer to his infrared monitor as he spotted a light disturbance that could have been a fly.

“It’s so cool!” Baekhyun said. “But, uh, I opened it to inspect it further and may have taken the bottom out to look at the construction and, uh, there was something inside.”

“And what was inside?” Kyungsoo squinted a bit at the monitor, not thinking it was the motion of a fly after all.

“Diamonds. Like, a ton of little diamonds.”

Kyungsoo sat up straight. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said. And then I thought to myself, do I report that someone had hid diamonds in here, or do I just keep them? So, since your moral compass is decent enough, what do I do?”

“I think Yixing’s moral compass might be higher than mine. What did he say?”

“I haven’t told him because his moral compass is too high, and he’s going to tell me to report it.”

“Right,” Kyungsoo said. “But on the other hand, someone’s going to realize those diamonds are missing and want to find them, so you’re probably better off reporting it to the hotel. Waiiit…” Kyungsoo leaned in toward the monitor to see clearer movement occurring on the monitor. “Shit, I’ve got a mover.”

“Okay, call me back with the right thing, but not too right thing, to do. Bye!” Baekhyun hung up and Kyungsoo put his phone down, watching as the disturbance moved down the hallway toward the open space.

It wasn’t a shadow or anything easy to make out, so Kyungsoo had to keep an eye on the energy pattern that moved toward a window then stopped. He tried to make out a form of a person but instead he got energy pulses that then appeared to move closer to his camera.

“What are you looking for?” Kyungsoo wondered out loud, trying to imagine what object could have drawn the energy’s attention.

It could have been anything—an antique the owner had once had on his desk, a family heirloom that had been kept in a drawer, even a personal item with sentimental value could have drawn the energy. Then, Kyungsoo’s eyes widened as the energy continued to pulse toward the camera. What were the chances he had set up right where the phantom would be drawn to? Kyungsoo looked closer at the monitor, trying to make out some sort of form or face. He swore he saw a set of eyes look right at him before he lost the feed, static replacing it instead.

“Okay, that was weird,” Kyungsoo said to himself, turning off the monitor and focusing instead on the audio. But a loud screech went through the mic and then silence followed, making it clear that the energy had managed to turn that off as well. “Great,” Kyungsoo said with a sigh.

He turned all the equipment off and went to bed.

***

The next morning, Kyungsoo had a surprise waiting for him at the office space, prompting him to call his tech specialist back home in LA.

“I’m at dinner with my parents,” Irene scolded Kyungsoo through the phone.

Kyungsoo had met Irene years ago on a reddit forum when he had made a post asking, “_so anyone know where i can get a cheap geophone in less than an hour? asking for a freaked out friend. (j/k: i am the freaked out friend. help!)_”

She had answered his plea and sent him a private message asking him where he was so she could lend him one of hers. He hadn’t expected user ParaFckUrNormal to be a girl, much less to be named Irene, and even less to be beautiful. She was small, like him, and quiet, like him, and a deep thinker, like him, and at the time Kyungsoo thought he had met his meant to be. But she had shut him down, before he could even ask, with a simple proclamation of, “I don’t date ghost hunters.”

Kyungsoo crouched down to get a better look at his ruined gear and said, “Right, but I have an emergency. This energy thing killed my gear.”

“Killed how? Hold on,” she said, and he could hear her excuse herself from her parents along with the background noise of the restaurant as she moved about. The restaurant noise was replaced by a passing car. “Okay, send me a pic so I can see what I’m dealing with.”

Kyungsoo sent a picture of his gear—some warped, some burnt, most unusable.

“Jesus,” Irene said. “Well that’s the last time I get you an EMF meter for Christmas.”

“I’m thinking major power surge?”

“Really, genius?” Irene sighed. “Okay, my girl Seulgi in Hongdae might have backups. Let me call you back.”

“Hey, I’m in Hongdae. That works,” Kyungsoo said with a smile.

“Of course you are. And I bet Jongin is in Gangnam and you willfully have chosen to slum it for your art.”

“Hongdae is nice.”

“Hanging up now.”

Kyungsoo chuckled and hung up. He stood up from his crouching position and turned to look at the man in the business suit, once again of a gray variety, only this time darker. Beside him stood the building manager, who had accompanied the building owner at Kyungsoo’s request.

“Needless to say,” Kyungsoo said, pointing toward his gear, “you’ve got a very strong energy in here.”

“Can you get rid of it?” the building owner asked.

“Well, no. I’ll have to call in help for that, but first I need to find out some things. Did you have any family heirlooms or antiques in this room?”

“Antiques? I don’t understand.”

“Sometimes spirts are drawn to certain objects. Something must be keeping this one on this floor,” Kyungsoo explained, or at least tried to. Improvising wasn’t his forte.

“I see, uh… Not that I can think of. This was an office space. Just desks and chairs. Things of that nature.”

“Hm,” Kyungsoo said, walking over to the window the energy had first stopped at. He turned his attention to the building manager. “Do you remember what was over here in this area? Or maybe if someone sat in this area?”

“The manager of the department sat in this area,” the building manager stated. “I don’t recall anything on his desk that would fit your description. He was minimalistic, as were the majority of the employees.”

“That would be by my order,” the owner interjected. “I believe workers should not have distractions. A minimalist and clean office space is good for productivity.”

And lack of imagination, Kyungsoo wanted to say, but he needed to stay on the guy’s good side, so he nodded and walked back toward where his battered equipment sat. He measured the energy spikes of it, the needle on his meter acting erratic as it struggled to surpass the highest mark.

“What about over here?” Kyungsoo then asked the manager.

“Over here, some account executives,” the man replied as if having to recollect his thoughts. “Their desks were also empty, as instructed.”

Kyungsoo looked at the walls and motioned toward them. “Nothing on the walls?” he asked. “No paintings? Motivational photographs?”

“None,” the owner answered for the manager. “Clutter is not good for productivity.”

“Right,” Kyungsoo nodded again, and now he looked at the space confused. He then looked back down at his equipment. Something had pissed off that ghost enough for him to attack Kyungsoo’s equipment. He turned his attention to the owner, wondering.

“Yes?” the owner asked, looking a little uncomfortable by Kyungsoo’s stare. That happened often. He had a way of intimidating people with whatever look was on his face when he was simply thinking.

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” he said, relaxing his features and looking back toward the hallway. He walked toward where the activity had begun the previous night, and touched the wall where he had first spotted the energy.

There was a reason Kyungsoo had felt a gut reaction toward taking on this case. So many of his leads led nowhere, but this one had the most potential he had felt in a while. This ghost was angry, and there was something the owner knew that could unlock why.

He was going to have to have a word with that ghost.

Kyungsoo knew that Baekhyun was his best option for the task, but Kyungsoo had refused to work with him after that awful night he didn’t like to think about. It was better that Baekhyun was in Miami fending off sugar daddies and collecting diamonds instead. His next best option was his exorcist, but Kyungsoo didn’t want to think about that either, so he realized he was going to have to reach out to his necromancer to get the job done.

***

Kyungsoo met up with Jongin for a late lunch in Gangnam at a fried chicken place he swore by, and he enjoyed his beer while lamenting to his best friend about his broken equipment.

“Seulgi will sort it out,” Jongin told him in between bites of his chicken. “She’s really great. Almost as good as Irene.”

“You’re just saying that because you guys had a thing,” Kyungsoo pointed out with a small smirk.

“I’ve had a thing with everyone,” Jongin waved off. “But Seulgi is one of my faves.”

“Second place?”

“First, definitely,” Jongin teased, and Kyungsoo kicked his shin under the table. “Ah, okay, you guys are tied.”

Kyungsoo kicked him again for good measure and then looked at Jongin with a peaceful smile and said, “Thanks for coming out. You didn’t have to, but you did. I didn’t really convey that last night. I had a lot on my mind.”

“You say jump, I’ll always ask how high. Someone has to. You do too good of a job of pushing away the people that care about you.”

“I think history has shown that people shouldn’t get too close,” Kyungsoo said, reaching for a fried chicken wing and breaking it apart before eating.

Jongin studied him for a moment, probably trying to choose his words carefully, then said, “I know this always falls on deaf ears, but I’ll say it for the millionth time. It’s not your fault your parents died, Soo.”

Kyungsoo intellectually knew Jongin was right, but it didn’t stop him from needing to confirm it or somehow understand it enough that it didn’t haunt him.

He fed Jongin the other half of the chicken wing.

“This lead is a good one,” he chose to say instead of responding to Jongin’s heartfelt words. “There’s something off with the owner. He didn’t even allow the employees in the building to have desk decorations. What does the owner care if the companies renting space from him have shit on their desk or not?”

“Maybe the ghost is a disgruntled worker that wanted to put a poster above his desk,” Jongin said with a laugh.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Kyungsoo snorted. “The only thing surprising is that there aren’t more disgruntled ghosts hanging around.”

“You said this guy has an antique collection?” Jongin asked as he took a break from devouring chicken to take a sip of his beer. “Doesn’t sound like an antique collector to me.”

Jongin had a very good point, and Kyungsoo furrowed his brows and stared down at his own beer, then took another sip.

“An article had been written about his family’s antique collection,” Kyungsoo said, trying to remember his research. “So, maybe it’s not him. Could be his dad’s, mom’s, wife’s?”

“I’ll look into it,” Jongin said, tackling a chicken thigh.

Kyungsoo looked at him, feeling grateful but also saddened that he put Jongin in these situations.

“You don’t have to. I can figure out a way.”

“It’s why I’m here. To help. And us gods have a way with the entitled,” Jongin said with a smirk, tossing the thigh bone onto the plate.

“You gods have a way with everyone,” Kyungsoo said, looking at him for a moment, realizing just how much he did like the contrast of the golden blond hair with Jongin’s golden tan skin. “After I’m done tonight, I’ll come over.”

“I’ll make sure the guest room is pristine,” Jongin said with a big smile.

“Why? Who’s staying in it?”

Jongin laughed, and it was his turn to kick Kyungsoo in the shin.

***

Accentuating the feel of this lead being a good one, Kyungsoo took it as a positive sign that his necromancer happened to be in Seoul that week. The smog had died down a bit for the night, and Kyungsoo pocketed his face mask, making out the tall height and perfect posture of his go-to necromancer.

“How’s it going, Sehunnie?” Kyungsoo greeted the younger man with a hug, taking in his appearance since he last saw him. As per usual, Sehun was dressed impeccably. He had on a pair of faded blue jeans that fit his incredible physique and a nice button down shirt, ironed and clinging to all the right places. Kyungsoo had always admired how well Sehun wore clothes. “Did you grow taller? You keep doing that.”

“Shut up,” Sehun said softly, a bit shy by the compliment. “You keep getting shorter. It’s amazing.”

“It’s an optical illusion,” Kyungsoo joked.

Kyungsoo had been scoping out a potential hunt when he had first met Sehun. At the time, Sehun had been a college kid doing a research project for class at an old, haunted abandoned hospital. They had scared each other, as often happened in these situations, both turning the corner after hearing a noise and finding the other instead. They had introduced themselves and explained why the other was there, and then, in the course of deciding to work together, Kyungsoo had discovered that Sehun had a penchant for magic, which Kyungsoo hadn’t believed in, until Sehun had managed to conjure the very spirt they had both been looking for.

“So, why are you in Seoul anyway?” Kyungsoo asked as they waited by the front door of the building. Kyungsoo had wanted to give Sehun enough time to find it before the owner showed up to let them in.

“It’s a long story, but the short version is I fell for a demon several months ago when I came to see family. So, I come visit him every now and then.”

“Sounds like something you’d do,” Kyungsoo said with a small laugh. “Well, Jongin’s in town too if you want to hang out with him.”

“I figured that,” Sehun said, his eyes crinkling in fondness. “Where you go, he goes.”

“He’s a shadow I can’t shake.”

“He’s a shadow you don’t want to shake. And that’s a good thing.”

“Either way, he’s here, and you should go hang out with him before he and Taemin do something too stupid together.”

“It’s probably too late for that,” Sehun chuckled.

A luxury car arrived and parked by the entrance, and the owner got out, as did another man who looked over at them suspiciously.

“I don’t come here at night alone,” the owner explained. “This is one of my security guards.”

Kyungsoo introduced Sehun to the both of them and then nodded at the man once the door was unlocked.

“We’ll wait for you out here,” the owner said.

As soon as both Kyungsoo and Sehun had made it inside, they heard the owner lock them in.

“Yeah, that’s not creepy or anything,” Sehun mentioned.

“He’s paranoid,” Kyungsoo explained, walking to the elevator and hitting the button.

Once in the elevator, both men turned on their flashlights, exiting into the hallway where their paranormal friend should be.

“This is where I got the first indication of a presence,” Kyungsoo explained to Sehun, pointing out the wall where he had first seen a sign of energy on his monitors.

“Wonder what’s behind there?” Sehun said, taking off his backpack and crouching down to take out his divination items.

“Bathroom,” Kyungsoo informed him.

“Ah, should’ve guessed that,” Sehun said, knowing that bathrooms were ripe with pipes and water. Spirits had a penchant for both of those things.

Kyungsoo watched as Sehun lit a couple of candles, setting them up under a specific spot in the wall. Sehun then took out a spray can and created a cool looking pentagram on the wall with little circles on each side and lines connecting them.

Kyungsoo took out his infrared camera, which had managed to turn on after all, and started filming the spot. Sehun then lit some incense and passed it around the spot, reciting a chant, which Kyungsoo could never make out because Sehun always mumbled. It never stopped the spirits from hearing it though, and Kyungsoo often had to remind himself that spirits did work on a different frequency.

The temperature dropped, and Kyungsoo felt the little hairs on his arm prickle straight up. They had been joined by a third party, and Sehun took a step back from the wall, but continued to mumble.

“Ask him the following,” Kyungsoo said, barely above a whisper, noticing the energy surge on the screen of his camera.

He gave Sehun the questions he needed answered, and Sehun began to ask him the first question, then took more step backs until he was against the opposite wall of the hallway.

“I don’t think he likes these questions,” Sehun remarked.

“So, definitely not a fan of the owner,” Kyungsoo noted to himself, and then he noticed a flare on his camera.

Kyungsoo crouched faster than he had ever crouched before. He looked over at Sehun to see that his young necromancer had done the same.

The lights in the hallway flickered, and then darkness surrounded them again, only the flashlights still on as the candles had been put out by the spirit’s energy.

“Where’d he go?” Kyungsoo asked, directing his flashlight around the hallway as if that would somehow help him find an answer.

“I think he went that way,” Sehun said pointing over Kyungsoo’s head.

Kyungsoo turned, then stood up straight, heading into the open office space and keeping his camera directed ahead of him. He noticed the energy light up by the same window he had favored the night before.

“Okay, you like that window. Why do you like that window?” Kyungsoo said, more to himself, but he hoped the presence heard him and answered him for both of their sakes.

He wished he had gotten one of his mics to work, but the best he could hope for was his camera picking up any sounds that he could review later and identify as actual words.

“Uh, Soo?” Kyungsoo heard Sehun’s voice behind him, but he hadn’t needed the warning, already taking several steps back as he noticed through his camera the energy coming closer to him. “Soo, drop it.”

“I need to get…” Kyungsoo began.

“Drop it,” Sehun said again.

Kyungsoo dropped his camera and ran backward toward where Sehun stood, just in time to watch his camera turn a bright red, the smell of burnt metal wafting in the air.

“Fucking shit,” Kyungsoo said, now frustrated. He had been really hoping to at least salvage that one piece of equipment instead of having to spend a fortune to start completely over.

“Where is he?” Sehun said, darting his flashlight around.

“Not sure. We should probably get out and regroup.”

“Good idea,” Sehun said, already backing up toward the hallway.

Kyungsoo used his flashlight to identify the distance to the elevator. As they approached the area where Sehun had summoned the entity, the candles flickered back on, illuminating the pentagram on the wall above it.

“Feels like a trap,” Kyungsoo muttered.

“That’s rude to use my own work against me,” Sehun pouted.

“He does seem petty,” Kyungsoo agreed, taking a step forward and noticing the spray paint of the pentagram begin to drip.

They both took off running toward the elevator, feeling a strong gust of wind when they rushed by the pentagram that knocked them both to the ground.

Kyungsoo scrambled up first and darted toward the elevator, pressing the lobby button repeatedly in hopes it made the elevator doors open quicker.

They only let out breaths of relief once the elevator had deposited them safely back into the lobby. They made sure to take calm strides toward the entrance, not wanting to alarm the owner too much. Once they were outside with the door locked behind them once again, the owner asked them if they had gotten rid of it.

“More like it got rid of us,” Sehun remarked, sweeping something off the side of his sleeve and then fixing it, never one to like anything to be out of place.

“That’s one really angry ghost you have up there,” Kyungsoo said, now standing with his hands on his hips as he assessed the owner. “You wouldn’t happen to have any enemies that died, would you?”

“What? Of course not,” the man said, looking offended.

“Know anyone that died that really hated cameras?” Sehun tried.

“What? No. Not that I would know,” the owner seemed confused now.

“Know anyone that died that really liked looking out that window?” Kyungsoo said, pointing up at the offending window.

“Is this a joke?” the owner asked, impatience appearing on his face.

Kyungsoo sighed and bowed to the man.

“I apologize. I’m only attempting to figure out what exactly you’re dealing with in there. That ghost is angry at someone.”

“I don’t care who it’s angry with. I just need you to get rid of it. That’s what I called you for.”

“Yeah, I’m with him,” Sehun said to Kyungsoo as he thumbed toward the owner. “Call your exorcist and get rid of it.”

_But my lead_, he wanted to whine. And also, his exorcist was back home in LA, so it’s not like he could just call him to come get rid of it. But also, he didn’t want to.

“Let me think about this further tonight,” Kyungsoo told the owner. “I’ll make a decision in the morning and let you know how I want to handle this.”

“I only hired you to handle this one way,” the owner reminded him with what almost sounded like a veiled threat.

“We’ll get rid of it,” Kyungsoo assured him. “Just let me think this through.”

He bowed to the man again and wished him a good evening, then walked back toward the subway line with Sehun.

“So why are you not calling your exorcist?” Sehun asked as he strolled beside him.

“This is the best lead I’ve had in months,” Kyungsoo confessed.

“Ah, I should’ve guessed you wouldn’t have flown all the way out here for a regular old haunting.”

“I just have a feeling about this one.”

“You should always trust your feelings,” Sehun nodded. “But it might not be a bad idea to have your exorcist on standby. That spirit’s a bit dangerous.”

“Yeah, I’ll call him,” Kyungsoo said. He had no real intentions of doing so, but it always felt nice to give people the answers they wanted.

He gave Sehun a hug as they parted ways since they had to take different lines. Kyungsoo got on the train to Gangnam, finding an empty seat in the corner and taking out his phone as he scrolled through his contacts before landing on his ex’s name.

It actually made for a cute joke, or so people thought, to point out that he was both his ex and his exorcist, or that the ex in exorcist stood for ex-boyfriend, or whatever puns they came up with that they thought were clever but were actually tired and annoying.

But long before he had been his ex, he had been simply a good-looking guy, dressed in all black, with black hair that almost covered his eyes, and a small stature, even though he carried himself as if he wasn’t aware of that detail. Kyungsoo remembered fondly attending the fated open mic poetry night, mostly because he had been bored and it had been taking place near his home. Plus, the bar hosting it had a really good organic craft beer selection.

Kyungsoo had been in the midst of silently judging the poet that had just gotten off the tiny stage when the cute guy in all black took his turn. He had gone straight to the mic, opened a small notebook, and begun reciting his poems.

Only they hadn’t been poems.

It had taken Kyungsoo only half a minute to realize that the tiny man was reading exorcisms, and it had taken the audience about another minute to gasp as it slowly dawned on them as well.

While the majority of the patrons had looked disturbed, Kyungsoo had stared in fascination, and sudden lust, for this small genius that had duped the hipster poetry crowd and delighted all of his senses in the process.

Only Kyungsoo and two slightly drunk people had applauded for the man after, and the man had bowed with a satisfied smile, which in that moment Kyungsoo had thought was the absolutely cutest smile he had ever seen, kind of like a mischievous cat.

Kyungsoo had darted toward the man, intercepting him on his way to the bar, and he rather dumbly and boldly had said, “That was amazing, and I want to sleep with you.”

The exorcism poet had chuckled and said, “Thank you, and I usually exchange names before hook ups.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry, I’m Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo had said, holding his hand out for a shake.

“Jongdae,” he had replied, shaking his hand and letting the touch linger before pulling his hand away. “It’s nice to meet you, Kyungsoo. Buy me a drink?”

Kyungsoo had bought him two before they had left and headed to Kyungsoo’s place.

The recorded female voice announced that the next stop was for Apujeong, and Kyungsoo put his phone away, needing to not think about his exorcist anymore.

***

Kyungsoo appreciated how well Jongin knew him on nights like these, when Jongin could immediately read his face and know that things may not have gone as planned.

“I have a whole bag of goodies from Paris Baguette,” Jongin told him. “Have at ‘em while I make you some coffee.”

Kyungsoo sat on the couch, having changed into a T-shirt and boxers, and opened the bag. He pulled out a red bean donut and bit into it while staring off at the nothingness of the night sky despite it being dotted so brightly by the city lights of Seoul.

“I have some good news for you,” Jongin called out from the kitchen. “I’m attending a luncheon tomorrow hosted by the wife of your haunted building owner.”

Kyungsoo stared toward the kitchen, red bean donut momentarily forgotten, and asked, “How did you pull that off?”

“God privileges,” Jongin said with a dorky laugh. “I did research and pulled some strings to get myself an invite. The timing is perfect. Kinda meant to be, don’t you think?”

_Very meant to be_, Kyungsoo thought, and he considered everything that had happened so far in the past 48 hours since he’d started following this lead. “A lot has felt very meant to be on this one,” he said, loud enough for Jongin to hear.

“Then why the long face?” Jongin asked, coming back into the living room with two cups of coffee and placing them both on the golden coasters that decorated the black coffee table.

“The ghost is mean, and everyone wants me to get rid of it. Even Sehun wants to get rid of it. But it’s my lead, and we haven’t found out anything from it yet.” Kyungsoo wished this had gone a tiny bit easier.

“If a necromancer is telling you to get rid of a ghost, you need to get rid of it,” Jongin stated.

Kyungsoo sucked on his bottom lip, then said, “I just wish I knew why it was obsessed with that one window. I need to do more research.”

“Do you need me to call Jongdae for you?” Jongin then asked, too perceptive as usual.

Kyungsoo decided to play it off with logic and rationality. “There are other exorcists and mediums in the area for when the time comes. No need to bother him and have him fly in for no reason.”

“No need to fly in the best exorcist we know for a promising lead with a difficult ghost?” Jongin rephrased for him, and he hid his judgmental eyes by focusing on his coffee and taking a sip.

Kyungsoo petulantly finished his donut and picked up his coffee, feeling all his defenses rise and needing to verbalize them.

“We didn’t end things right,” Kyungsoo reminded him. “I just don’t think I should put him in a weird situation like this.”

“You didn’t end things right,” Jongin then not-so-nicely reminded him. “You literally ghosted him for no reason.”

“Nice pun.”

“Don’t deflect. Deep down inside, you know you’re the asshole here and you don’t want to have to look him in the eye. But this is the part where I remind you that he will fly out here the second you need him. So either you call him, or I’ll do it for you. Sehun saying you need to get rid of this ghost has me concerned. Jongdae is going to be on the next flight to Seoul whether you want him to be or not.”

“I’ll text him when it’s time,” Kyungsoo tried.

Jongin took out his phone and texted, then announced, “It’s done.”

Kyungsoo sighed and put his coffee back down on the coaster. He then leaned his head back against the soft leather couch.

He was the asshole here. He very much had abandoned his boyfriend about a month ago and didn’t have the courage to face him for it. Jongdae hadn’t deserved it, but Kyungsoo hadn’t known how to handle a lot of things that had been happening at the time so he had ended up not handling them at all.

The memory of their first official date, which had been essentially waking up the next morning in Kyungsoo’s bed after the poetry night of fate and walking over to a close-by brunch place for breakfast, flooded into Kyungsoo’s mind.

“Wait, you’re a ghost hunter?” Jongdae had asked, bright eyed and very interested. “That’s the coolest thing ever!” His face had lit up, and Kyungsoo had decided that his lust was now instant love.

“It used to be a side thing, but now it’s a full-time thing,” Kyungsoo had explained.

“I want to go ghost hunting with you,” Jongdae had proclaimed, bouncing with energy in his seat. “I can practice my exorcisms on any demons you might come across.”

“Yeah, about that,” Kyungsoo had taken the chance to ask. “Are you a priest? And if so, was last night even allowed? Because I want last night to happen again. All of it.”

Jongdae had laughed loudly in the way that Kyungsoo soon learned he always did, and then he had explained.

“No, I went to an all-boys Catholic school where it was mentioned. I got really into the idea of doing them, so I asked a brother for help, but he had told me that only certain priests received permission to do them, and they had to go through a whole training for it. Then I found out that their exorcisms only worked on demons, so I started doing research on how do you get rid of non-demons. Like ghosts. And then found it was pretty easy, and that you didn’t even have to be a medium to do it, you just needed to know the tricks of the trade, which then lead me down a rabbit hole on reddit on what exactly the tricks of the trade for priests exorcising demons were. And once I had all the information I needed, I started practicing.”

“Amazing,” Kyungsoo had said, wanting to taking him straight back to bed all over again. “Were you trying to exorcise some demons at the bar last night?”

Jongdae had laughed and said, “No, I just like to work on my delivery from time to time and freak people out in the process.”

“I think I love you,” Kyungsoo had gone ahead and stated.

Jongdae had smiled and leaned over the table to pop a kiss on his lips, and then soon after, with the fastest paying of a restaurant bill ever, they had been back in Kyungsoo’s bed.

Kyungsoo was brought back to the present by Jongin rubbing his leg and saying, “It’s going to be alright, Soo. Why don’t you go get some rest? The guest room’s all done up for you.”

“I was hoping to be cuddled,” Kyungsoo said, opening his eyes and looking at him. “I kinda need to be held tonight. Things are so weird in my head right now.”

Jongin gave him a soft kiss on his cheek and said, “Let’s go cuddle.”

***

Jongdae’s flight wouldn’t be arriving until the following day, which gave Kyungsoo the chance to not think about his arrival at all. After checking in with Seulgi and getting his new equipment, he had spent most of the day unboxing and getting everything to work. As much as it had hurt to see all his equipment go up in flames, there was nothing as exciting as new toys to play with.

In the middle of testing out the settings on his new camera, his phone rang and Jongin’s picture popped up.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, putting him on speaker. “I got my new gear, and I’m in nerd heaven right now. What’s up?”

Jongin chuckled and said, “I’ve got a lead for your lead. Where do you live?”

Kyungsoo texted him his address and then attempted to tidy up his small space. He hadn’t been there long enough to create a mess, and yet somehow, between the open suitcases with things strewn about and the empty boxes that all the gear had come in, his place looked like a disaster.

He tried to stuff things back into his suitcase and attempted to take the boxes down to the dumpster real quick, then realized he should have taken the empty ramen boxes all over his counter with them. He tossed everything that fit in the trash and ran his hand through his hair, thankful that he hadn’t bothered to change into something more comfortable after he had visited Seulgi. At least he looked decent and his short black hair still seemed to be working in his favor.

Jongin arrived with food, the smell of jjajangmyeon permeating through the plastic bags.

“Figured you hadn’t eaten, so I brought an early dinner,” Jongin said, placing the bags on the counter and taking a quick glance around. “Your place is small.”

“It works for me,” Kyungsoo said.

“It does,” Jongin agreed, checking out the view of the small street and neighboring building from Kyungsoo’s sole window. He then headed to the kitchen and took the containers out of the bag.

Kyungsoo had no dining table to use, so they sat on his bed and enjoyed their noodles while Jongin told him about the lead for his lead.

“This luncheon was intense. A lot of egos were in that room,” Jongin said, using his chopsticks to mix his noodles better in the black bean sauce. “The wife herself is a piece of work. Very entitled and judgmental. I did have a nice conversation with her though, at least when she wasn’t trying to get into my pants.”

“Dear God,” Kyungsoo said, mortified for Jongin.

“Dear me indeed,” Jongin said, taking the opportunity for a joke. “But on the bright side, playing coy with her meant getting all the details. She’s not the original wife of the owner. She’s the second wife. The antiques were inherited, so the owner doesn’t care about them. He keeps it all locked up in a warehouse and made it his wife’s responsibility. She keeps some of the pieces in their home for decoration.”

“And you’re such an amazing god that you got the location of this godsend of a warehouse.”

“Yep,” Jongin said with a bright smile.

Kyungsoo dropped his chopsticks in his container and reached both hands out to cup Jongin’s face and pull it closer to his, dropping a “thank you” kiss right on his lips.

“That’s not even the best part,” Jongin told him, smirking after the kiss. “Guess who had her set up a special evening at the warehouse tonight with the curator?”

Kyungsoo forgot all about his food, taking the containers off the bed and crawling onto Jongin’s lap instead. He faced him and gave him all the kisses that he wanted as he pushed his best friend’s shirt up so it could come off.

He supposed a simple verbal “thank you” would have sufficed, but Kyungsoo’s senses were heightened and excitement coursed through his veins as he thought about how much closer he was to figuring out things that had been haunting him for too long.

Plus, there was the added bonus of choosing to not be rational at the moment so that he could get lost in the way Jongin was always so tender with him, using soft touches and sweet words whispered in his ear to always make Kyungsoo feel good.

They made out intensely then finished each other off with mutual hand jobs before collapsing into each other’s arms and taking a calming nap, one that Kyungsoo very much needed to keep him from being too excited about where his lead would take him that night.

***

“I’m so excited,” Kyungsoo said with a big grin for the curator, a polished, middle-aged gentleman with an aloof air that made the chuckle he gave seem a bit unnatural.

The curator welcomed them into the warehouse and lead them to a small table that had been set up with wine and a platter of sushi, nigiri, and sashimi.

“Mrs. Park always insists on spoiling her guests,” the curator explained, pouring a glass of wine for each of them.

“Please tell Mrs. Park that this selection is perfect,” Jongin stated, very much in his element as he sniffed and approved the wine .

Kyungsoo almost snorted, but remembered he had to play a part as well in order to accomplish what he wanted, which was to find the haunted object that hopefully held all the answers he was looking for.

“I’m too eager,” Kyungsoo said, though he did grab some raw tuna to pop into his mouth. “Can we start looking around?”

“Of course,” the curator said, extending his arm as if to indicate he was free to roam about.

Kyungsoo tried to be casual, holding onto his glass of wine for effect as he took in each object he passed, grateful that even though located in a warehouse, they were displayed as if in a museum. It made sense to him now why private viewings were set up, probably at a hefty price. Kyungsoo knew better than to even bother asking Jongin how much he had to pay for this privilege, though also knowing Jongin, he had probably flirted his way into a nice discount.

Jongin did what he did best, charm the curator with light conversation to distract him from paying too much attention to Kyungsoo, who looked at each item, not just with his eyes, but also with his gut, trying to gauge if anything gave him a strong feeling, or pulled him toward it, or stuck out as odd and needed further investigation.

The majority of the antiques resembled the other: screen paintings of idyllic nature scenes, clay roof tiles engraved with family crests, ceramic vases and bowls, small wooden boxes, a set of antique scrolls depicting swimming koi, and rows of bandaji chests that would capture Baekhyun’s imagination. Kyungsoo had an amusing thought of inspecting each one for hidden diamonds.

The problem with Kyungsoo’s quest was that he didn’t know exactly what he was looking for. When his parents had died in an accident just six short months ago, the will they left behind had specified every possible detail of his inheritance, right down to a family heirloom that was listed as missing on the documents.

When Kyungsoo had asked the executor of his parents’ will what that had meant, the man, who had been not just a business partner, but also a personal friend of Kyungsoo’s parents, had explained that it was part of the collection of family heirlooms that were to be passed down to Kyungsoo. However, his parents had updated the will to report that it had gone missing and that it needed to be returned to him when found.

“But what was it?” Kyungsoo had asked, confusion not what he needed on top of the grief he felt consumed by in that moment.

“Your parents never told me,” the executor had said. “I asked so that I could write a description of it in the will, but they never found the time to update me on the item. They did have reason to believe, however, that it had been stolen.”

At first, Kyungsoo hadn’t cared about this random missing item. He really hadn’t cared about anything at all, going through the motions of each day in a haze where he couldn’t accept or truly realize that his parents were gone.

But then, as the dust of the initial grief had settled, he began to think that if his parents had gone through the trouble of putting it in the will despite it no longer being in their possession, then maybe he should care a bit more about finding it.

Kyungsoo’s memories dissipated as he paused in front of an antique white brass box. It didn’t give him a strong tug of emotion, but he felt something there, like a remnant of something more important. Maybe it was a clue.

“This one seems to have gotten your attention,” Jongin said as he approached him, standing beside him and addressing the curator. “What’s the story behind this one?”

“This is a stunning piece,” the curator said, his voice laced with both knowledge and reverence. “It is a white brass jewelry box that once belonged to a very noble family. The inscription is a character for wealth and prosperity. It has a twin, which belonged to another family, and the families arranged marriages between the two to ensure that the boxes remained together at all times. That is, of course, until the modern era when arranged marriages began to fall out of favor.”

“I never know how I feel about those,” Jongin said, keeping the mood light to make sure any suspicion was avoided. “My parents were kind of arranged.”

“Most wealthy families keep the tradition in their own way,” the curator said with a nod of understanding.

“It’s hard to find the right person,” Jongin chuckled. “Our ancestors may have been on to something.”

Kyungsoo looked at Jongin a bit amused, and then focused on the curator and asked, “You said this box has a twin. Is it in here as well?”

“It is not. This one belongs to the Park family. The other belongs to another family.”

“Oh, which family is that? Would they have it available for viewing as well?” Kyungsoo asked, making sure to play up his naïve excitement by the prospect.

“I am afraid we do not know. We only know of the other’s existence due to historical records. We are not sure in which family’s hands it has ended up.”

“That’s too bad,” Kyungsoo said with a small pout. “It’s a really stunning piece. And in such great condition.”

“Yes. We take great care of all of our pieces, but I myself do spend extra time making sure the metal objects are tended to with extra attention.”

“You’ve done a great job,” Kyungsoo told him with a small bow in his direction.

They wrapped it up, enjoying a bit more of the food and wine before thanking the curator and leaving the warehouse.

Jongin had arranged a black taxi to collect them and, as they sat in the backseat, Jongin finally asked, “So, that metal box?”

“It’s not it,” Kyungsoo said as he jotted some notes about the box into his phone, “but I got a feeling from it. I need to find that other metal box it’s connected to.”

“That other metal box that historically has been documented but, all of a sudden, it’s not known which family possesses it?”

“Yeah, I’m not buying it either,” Kyungsoo said with a snort. “Either the Parks have it, or they know who has it and don’t want to tell us for some reason.”

Jongin nodded, always great at following Kyungsoo’s train of thought, and he said, “If they don’t already have it, then they want it, and they don’t want anyone else to get their hands on it first.”

“But it’s weird,” Kyungsoo then said, narrowing his eyes a bit as he thought it through. “If the owner claims to not be interested in his own antique collection, is it the wife that’s trying to get her hands on the other one?”

“She honestly didn’t seem that interested either,” Jongin said. “So either we’re on the wrong path here, or they’re both really good at pretending they don’t care about something that they care a lot about. Either way, you focus on getting rid of that ghost tomorrow, and I’ll try and find out more.”

Kyungsoo rested his head against the leather seat and wished the answers came to him easier. But he supposed that if the box was indeed the missing item that had belonged to his family, then the fact that it had been stolen and held such historical value would mean that he was just getting started.

***

A small discussion took place over breakfast on who would meet Jongdae at the airport. Kyungsoo insisted he needed to prep for the evening and finish getting his gear up and running. Jongin insisted that he man up and go pick up his ex from Incheon.

Kyungsoo stared at the gray day over the Han as he sipped his coffee. It’d be another face mask day and another day of feeling as if he was further from his goal than when he had started. It was times like these that Kyungsoo really wished he was in Seoul with his very much alive parents instead, exploring the city and visiting family and friends that his parents had left behind after they had moved to the States when Kyungsoo had been a mere toddler.

And then he had a thought and jolted just enough to get Jongin’s attention.

“You okay?” Jongin asked him, looking up from his phone that he held in one hand while holding a fork in the other.

“I need to see my family,” Kyungsoo stated.

“Right…now?” Jongin asked, putting his phone down.

“Now that we know it’s a box, they might know about it,” Kyungsoo explained as his mind raced.

Jongin seemed to consider this, then ate more of his eggs and toast.

“Okay. Go see them after you get Jongdae,” Jongin stated, giving him a patronizing smile and picking his phone back up.

Kyungsoo picked his coffee mug back up, then put it down, then picked it up, then just put it back down and sighed.

“I’ll go get dressed,” Kyungsoo acquiesced.

But getting dressed meant having to get dressed in what he had worn the previous night, and there was no way he was seeing his ex in his current state, so he took the train to Hongdae and managed a quick shower, splashing on his favorite cologne, which Jongdae always seemed to like, and picking out a pair of black jeans and a black polo shirt, as if he needed to put more effort than just a T-shirt as an apology.

He took the train to Incheon and tried to ignore the flipping in his stomach and nervousness pounding in his chest by keeping himself distracted by calling his aunt to see if she minded him dropping by later that day.

Not much of his family was left in Seoul, or in general. Three of his four grandparents had passed in his lifetime, and his maternal grandmother was the charge of his aunt, who had decided it best for her to live in a senior home since her mind had passed along with her husband’s life.

Kyungsoo stood near the door of the train, wanting to make sure he hopped off before getting stuck behind the travelers with their large backpacks and rolling luggage. When the doors for the final stop on the line opened, he hurried, not because of anticipation, but out of nervousness of needing to get this initial meeting over and done with. He’d decided he’d greet him, welcome him politely with typical words, then get them a taxi.

And his plan had been a good one, until he stood with the rest of the crowd of people waiting to see their loved ones and spotted Jongdae, also in black jeans and black shirt, with a black leather jacket thrown over. His hair was a little tousled and in his eyes, and a small black backpack hung over his shoulder as he pulled his black carry-on. Kyungsoo’s heart raced, as if seeing him for the first time all over again at that open mic poetry night.

Kyungsoo heard the voices of people around him, welcoming their friends and family, and he hadn’t realized until that moment that he hadn’t been hearing them before, so hyper-focused on seeing Jongdae and now realizing that he needed to wave his arm or something to get his attention.

Jongdae looked over at him just as he put his arm up, saving him from further possible embarrassment, and Jongdae smiled and headed in his direction.

“Hey,” Jongdae said as he approached him, his cat-lipped smile widening as if he hadn’t been unofficially abandoned by Kyungsoo about a month ago. “I wasn’t sure if you or Jongin was coming, but it’s you.”

“It’s me,” Kyungsoo confirmed, passing a hand through his hair a few times and then looking at Jongdae’s carry-on. “Here, let me take that for you.”

“It’s okay, I’ve got it,” Jongdae told him.

“You must be tired from the long flight,” Kyungsoo insisted. “I can take it.”

Jongdae relinquished the handle to him, and Kyungsoo pointed toward the men near the door asking people if they needed a taxi.

“I’ll get us a taxi,” Kyungsoo stated.

“What? No running around the subway in Seoul with luggage?” Jongdae teased with a small chuckle, referring to the first time they had gone to Seoul together when Kyungsoo had been following a different lead.

“We’ve upgraded,” Kyungsoo tried to joke back.

Once they were in the taxi, Kyungsoo gave the driver instructions to take them to Hongdae, and Kyungsoo explained to his ex, “I figured you were hungry, so we’ll eat first.”

Jongdae nodded, then focused on connecting his phone to the Wi-Fi egg he had picked up at the airport.

“Where are you staying?” Kyungsoo asked, watching him tap on his phone.

“With my aunt and uncle,” Jongdae said. “They live in Mok-dong, so not far from Hongdae.”

“Oh, that works out,” Kyungsoo said, clearing his throat a little. “I’m staying in Hongdae, so I figured I’d take you to eat there since I’m more familiar with the restaurants. There’s this fried chicken place that I really like, and it’s across from this popular Thai iced coffee place I think you’ll like.”

“How are you?” Jongdae asked him, looking toward him as he slid his phone into the pocket of his leather jacket.

Kyungsoo blinked at the question, seeing the concern on Jongdae’s face, even as the exorcist kept a small smile upon it.

“I’m fine. How are you?” Kyungsoo deflected.

“Confused,” Jongdae said, and maybe Kyungsoo shouldn’t have deflected.

Kyungsoo let out a soft sigh and nodded, running his hand through his hair and trying to find the right words. But in the end, he settled for, “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need to hear that you’re sorry,” Jongdae told him, losing his smile, but not his patience as he turned a little in his seat to better speak to him. “I need to know what happened.”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said, almost under his breath. He looked down at his fingers, which had suddenly found his lap seatbelt interesting.

“You do know,” Jongdae stated, and Kyungsoo looked back up at him. “We were together for two and a half years and you finally lost interest in me.”

“No,” Kyungsoo shook his head to help get across his point. “I didn’t. Not at all.”

“You did,” Jongdae nodded as a counterattack to his headshaking, “and my theory is that every time you got a new promising lead, you lost a little more interest until all that remained was your obsession with your leads.”

That may have been partially true, but it wasn’t the whole truth, and Kyungsoo didn’t know how to explain what had really been going on in his mind when he had started pulling away from Jongdae.

“I admit that I became obsessed with my leads,” Kyungsoo stated. “I’m still obsessed with them, and I’m super obsessed with the one I’m following now, which is why you’re here, which is why that’s obviously not the reason.”

“Bullshit,” Jongdae said. “Jongin was the one who texted me.”

“I was eating a red bean donut at the time, so it made more sense for him to do it,” Kyungsoo tried to joke, but Jongdae stared at him, which made Kyungsoo a little sad because before he had abandoned him, Jongdae’s loud laugh would have been echoing all over the taxi.

“Soo,” Jongdae said, his patience still incredibly intact, “what happened?”

Kyungsoo didn’t want to say what happened because he didn’t like thinking about what happened. He closed his eyes, thinking it would keep the memory away, but he could almost hear the metal crashing as a steel beam from a haunted construction site landed just mere inches from where Jongdae had been standing.

_You almost died_, Kyungsoo almost confessed, but instead he licked his lips and opened his eyes and said, “These new leads are getting me closer to what I’m looking for, and it all feels like it’s getting more dangerous, and what you do is dangerous, so I need to just focus on the leads and then, after that, I can probably focus on my actual life.” It was such a horrible explanation that Kyungsoo almost dropped his face into his palm out of embarrassment, but it wasn’t far from the truth either.

“Then why am I here?” Jongdae asked.

His voice was so calm that Kyungsoo’s guilt felt heavier.

“I told Jongin I’d get someone else, but he’s concerned because this ghost is really bad, but that’s partially why I think I wanted to get someone else…”

“I’m not Baekhyun,” Jongdae then said, and Kyungsoo’s eyes fell.

He rubbed his forehead, wondering how much longer they had to be together in the car. He needed fresh air.

“I know you worry,” Jongdae continued. “But…I’m not.”

Kyungsoo intellectually knew that. Before Jongdae had come into Kyungsoo’s life, he relied heavily on his medium to send spirits away, except for the demons, which had always required a call to the Catholic church.

But while Jongdae had a gift for expelling those that no longer belonged in this world, Baekhyun’s gift was the opposite. Spirits were attracted to him, as if he was a warm beacon they needed to connect with, and each time they did, it took so much out of Baekhyun that Kyungsoo always worried if it was too much.

And then one day it was.

Kyungsoo opened his car window and pressed his face against the force of the wind, the cool and fresh air allowing him to breathe better.

***

They had managed to beat the lunch crowd and were seated right away at a table right by the open window of the second-floor restaurant. They had a great view of the activity taking place on the pedestrian street outside. People sat on the benches enjoying a warmer spring day despite the less than desirable air quality. It was still pleasant though, and the breeze that accompanied their beer and fried chicken felt welcome and refreshing.

“So, what are we dealing with here?” Jongdae asked, picking up a spicy wing with his chopsticks, which he insisted were better than the ones at their favorite fried chicken place in K-town.

“A very angry spirit that destroyed all my equipment. Like literally up in flames,” Kyungsoo said, watching him eat, missing moments like these with him where he could just take him in and enjoy his presence.

“Sounds deliberate,” Jongdae said, peeking up at him as he bit into his chicken. “And you can’t figure out his connection with the owner?”

Kyungsoo shook his head and took a sip of his beer, then placed it back down, letting his fingers play with the handle of the plastic mug.

“That’s why I want to do a little more investigating tonight before you get rid of it,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Hm,” Jongdae said, studying him for a moment as he drank his own beer. “It sounds like the kind of spirit we need to get rid of right away though.”

“I won’t bring my equipment this time,” Kyungsoo said as he reached over to the fry basket to grab a fry. “It’ll buy us more time.”

Jongdae didn’t look convinced and Kyungsoo didn’t blame him, but Kyungsoo’s phone buzzed, saving him from the exorcist making another comment about it.

“Hey, what’s up?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin as he picked up the call.

“Are you guys eating without me? Thanks for the invite,” Jongin teased.

“You can join us if you like. We still have a whole basket of chicken we haven’t touched yet,” Kyungsoo told him. They had ordered two baskets and the basket of fries just in case.

“Next time. I have a new lead. Guess who found out that your owner has a kid?”

Kyungsoo sat up straighter in his chair and paid closer attention, “A kid?”

“A twenty-something son who’s grown up in boarding schools and technically lives all over the place but just so happens to be in town right now,” Jongin detailed, and Kyungsoo swore he could hear his best friend’s smirk over the phone. “Needless to say, I found out that the guy’s a bit of a gamer and loves to hang out at this particular gaming café in Gangnam, so that’s where I’m headed. Wish me luck.”

Kyungsoo snickered.

“No amount of luck is going to help you in a gaming café,” Kyungsoo told him instead. “You don’t even have the clothes to blend in, much less the aura.”

“How dare you? I happen to blend in everywhere I go by standing out.”

“What kind of logic…”

“Later,” Jongin said, hanging up before Kyungsoo could continue with the very many insults he had coming.

Kyungsoo chuckled and placed his phone down, reaching for chicken from the second basket and looking up to see Jongdae smiling at him.

“How’s Jongin doing?” Jongdae asked. “I’ve missed him too.”

Kyungsoo’s stomach flipped at the complicated question, but he cleared his throat and said, “He’s fine. You know, being Jongin. Per usual.”

“I’m glad he’s out here with you,” Jongdae said, repeating the sentiment that every one of his friends shared as if it was a mantra they had all learned at some initiation for being acquainted with him. “Someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

“I can take care of myself,” Kyungsoo shrugged off, looking out the window as a guy with a guitar set up to provide some street entertainment.

“Sure,” Jongdae said, “we can all take care of ourselves, but it doesn’t mean we don’t need someone to keep an eye on us.”

“Who’s keeping an eye on you these days?” Kyungsoo said, focusing back on Jongdae as he watched him mix some of the fries in the chili sauce at the bottom of the chicken basket.

“The position’s still open,” Jongdae said. He did a little wiggle in his seat with a happy smile and hum, as if wanting to make sure that Kyungsoo knew it was a joke and not something to take personally. “Anyway,” Jongdae then said to save Kyungsoo from an awkward response, “have you talked to Baek lately? He found these diamonds in Miami.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his tummy a little, trying to gauge how much more room he had for the remaining food and beer. “I was supposed to call him back with advice, but I got caught up dealing with this crazy ghost.”

“That’s why I ended up hearing about it,” Jongdae said with a chuckle. “He called me saying you hadn’t gotten back in touch with him and that I needed to tell him what to do.”

“So what’d you tell him?” Kyungsoo said, assessing that he could accommodate more chicken in his belly. He reached for another piece.

“I told him to put them back where he found them but keep a few for himself since no one would probably notice.”

“I probably would have told him the same,” Kyungsoo nodded.

“We were always pretty good about being on the same page,” Jongdae said, and Kyungsoo paused eating, then swallowed. “Or are? I’m not sure. My brother asked me the other day if I was single, and I told him that I guess I was. Do you want to make it official now so I can move on? After the Thai iced coffee? After we get rid of the ghost? At what point do I get closure?”

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo said, now losing whatever had been left of his appetite. He put his chopsticks down.

“Again, I’m not looking for an apology. But closure would be good. Unless we’re not really broken up, which I’d like to know as well.”

Jongdae put down his chopsticks as well and finished off his beer instead. Kyungsoo watched him while gripping the napkin in his hand as if it was a stress ball.

“It’d be easier to break up with you if you weren’t here,” Kyungsoo then said, releasing his grip on his napkin and tossing it into the empty chicken basket. “But you’re here, and I don’t know what that means. I didn’t want to call on you.”

“So, in your head,” Jongdae deciphered, “we were broken up.”

“I…” Kyungsoo didn’t want to admit it. What he wanted was to be done with all this so he could go back to a normal, healthy relationship with Jongdae where he didn’t have to be scared for his safety at all times. “No…I don’t know, Dae,” Kyungsoo finally said, exhaling and pressing the button on the table for their server to come over.

Jongdae took his wallet out and handed his card to the server before Kyungsoo could finish reaching for his.

“I got this,” Jongdae said. “Thanks for picking me up from the airport. You didn’t have to.”

“I did have to,” Kyungsoo said. “I can’t thank you enough for coming out here to help me with this.”

“Mhmm,” was all Jongdae said as he stood up and put his leather jacket back on. “I know where I am, so I’ll get myself to my aunt’s place,” Jongdae told him. Kyungsoo began to protest, but Jongdae continued, “Let me know what time you need me tonight and where I should show up.”

The server returned with their check, and Jongdae signed for it and put his card away in his wallet. Kyungsoo stood up, realizing that he needed to do something, though part of him wanted to remain catatonic so he didn’t have to deal with whatever this was.

Once they were back on the street level, Kyungsoo walked with Jongdae to the subway station near the restaurant.

“Promise me that you won’t get there in advance to try and reason with this thing,” Jongdae said, pulling out his metro card from his wallet.

“I’ll get there when you get there. Promise,” Kyungsoo told him, feeling like he needed to do something else, like hug him and hold him and not let him leave, or kiss him and tell him that they were walking distance from his place and they needed to just go there, or beg Jongdae to stay with him instead so they could pretend everything’s okay while he’s there, but instead he said, “Text me when you get to your aunt’s so I know you made it okay.”

Jongdae looked a little amused by this and said, “That’s a really weird thing for you to say to me given the circumstances.”

It was, and Kyungsoo felt dumb.

“Bye, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae said, looking annoyed enough for the both of them and disappearing down the stairs that lead to the subway station.

Kyungsoo stared at the busy stairwell for a moment then turned to walk back to his place, feeling a bit disoriented and upset at himself. Jongdae had flown all the way to Seoul for him, and what had he given him in return? Apologies that Jongdae didn’t want, while holding back the closure he had come looking for.

But he didn’t want to give him closure because Kyungsoo didn’t want to think that he had really lost him. It was easier to think of the end of their relationship as a nebulous moment in time that allowed for the possibility of a reunion. Closure meant that Kyungsoo had closed the book on someone he had loved at first sight, someone he knew was meant for him, someone who had known exactly how to get him to sleep at night when the nightmares became too vivid, and someone who knew exactly how to hold him whenever the feeling of losing his parents hurt just enough.

But Kyungsoo couldn’t be the boyfriend that Jongdae deserved. Not until he figured out what this item was that had been stolen from his family and why having to find it kept haunting Kyungsoo’s life.

***

Kyungsoo’s aunt lived in Pyeongchang-dong, and every time he went to visit her in her three-story home, with the mountain backdrop and stunning hiking trails just steps away from her door, Kyungsoo wondered if this is where his parents would have lived as well if they had never left for the States.

He rang the bell and waited, sifting through his own memories to see if he could find anything from his time in Korea before his parents had moved, but he had been too young, and all he could remember were the pictures of his time there shown to him much later in life.

“You’re here!” His younger cousin Hye-jin pulled him into a huge hug before he could respond, and he hugged her back. He then stood straight and took her in, her lipstick dark and eye makeup dramatic, while her normally straight black hair flowed in waves. He loved that his cousin did always like to stand out.

Kyungsoo pretended to measure her height.

“Yep, you’re still just as short as the rest of us,” Kyungsoo teased.

“It looks better on me,” she said with a laugh, letting him in. “_Eomma’s_ in the kitchen going crazy over how the tofu’s not coming out the way you like it.”

The smell of home hit him as the fragrances of spicy tofu, pickled cucumbers, and kimchi wafted around him. That along with the unmistakable smell of galbi made him miss his parents, and he tried to ignore the aching heaviness in his chest.

Kyungsoo walked into the kitchen to greet his aunt, who let out a large scream at seeing him and ran right over, taking his face into her hands.

“Always so handsome,” she said, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“I saw you like a month ago,” Kyungsoo reminded her with a chuckle.

“It’s never enough,” she said, taking him in like she always did. He knew why she did it, Hye-jin telling him one night after her parents had gone to bed that her mother felt that he resembled her sister so much that it was her way of feeling she still had her. Kyungsoo understood the sentiment well and always let her look as long as she wanted.

His uncle came in with a large bowl of the barbecued galbi and gave him a half-hug with his free arm, telling him to help his cousin set up the table. Kyungsoo took the bowl from him and followed Hye-jin to the table, helping her spread the small plates of _banchan_ around.

“Your parents didn’t have to do this for me,” he told her. “I feel bad because I might not even be able to stay for long.”

“You think they did this for you?” Hye-jin said, putting chopsticks at each place setting. “We were going to eat all this anyway. You just showed up on a good night.”

Kyungsoo snickered, always wishing he could take Hye-jin back home to California with him. He imagined he’d be in his head less and in a better mood if he always had her around.

Once all the food was on the table, Kyungsoo’s uncle wasted no time in telling them to dig in as everyone’s chopsticks started going to work.

Kyungsoo savored his aunt’s kimchi first, and then the galbi, and when he got to the tofu, he let her know it was perfect.

“How’s your job going?” Kyungsoo asked Hye-jin in the middle of savoring the tart flavor of the pickled cucumber.

“Oh, I quit it already,” she flippantly stated and spooned rice into her small bowl. “It was boring, and my boss annoyed me.”

“Your boss was probably relieved,” Kyungsoo teased her, and Hye-jin threatened to flick the piece of tofu she was picking up at him.

“You’ll find the right place soon that can appreciate your talent,” her father said to her with a warm smile.

“And your job?” his aunt asked Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo cleared his throat a little and wondered how best to answer that.

“I’m still freelancing,” he said.

“We figured you were here again chasing ghosts,” his uncle went ahead and said.

“I’m hoping to retire soon,” Kyungsoo told him with a small smile, hoping that calmed his and his aunt’s worries.

“Maybe I can join you,” Hye-jin said. “What if that’s my true calling?”

“I don’t think I have much use for an artist,” Kyungsoo let her know.

His aunt studied him for a moment, then she said, “Kyungsoo, why don’t you just move home to Seoul? Move in with us. Stop chasing ghosts and come live in the present.”

Kyungsoo took a sip of his plum tea and decided to play it off by saying, “My Korean’s not good enough to get by here. You should see the dirty looks I get from my current client because of my pronunciation.”

“He’s got a point,” Hye-jin said, pointing a chopstick in his direction. “Even I get offended by his bad pronunciation.”

“I get offended by your bad jokes,” Kyungsoo threw back at her, pointing his chopstick toward her in retaliation, and his uncle chuckled as his aunt smiled.

“Still,” his aunt then said as she took the liberty to put more meat on his plate, “our home is your home. If you change your mind, you can come back whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” he told her. “For the offer and this amazing food. I wish I hadn’t had such a big lunch so that I could eat all of it.”

“I’ll pack you plenty to go,” his aunt assured him. “How long are you in town for?”

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure how to answer. “Um,” he said, mixing some of the kimchi in his rice, “hopefully not long. If this lead pans out. Actually, it’s part of why I wanted to see you tonight. Do you remember if our family ever owned an antique white brass jewelry box?”

“A white brass jewelry box?” his aunt said, thinking it over. “Hm, I remember our mother having a metal box for some of her jewelry. The one she passed down to your mother at her wedding. I don’t remember it being white brass, but it was quite beautiful.”

“This one would have like a pattern on top,” Kyungsoo described, wishing he had been able to take a picture of the one in the warehouse, but it would have caused too much suspicion. “It would look almost like a maze.”

“I’m not sure,” his aunt said, looking as if she was attempting to access memories long forgotten. “I can think on it further and maybe go through some old pictures and see if it’s in any of them.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo told her.

“Why is this box important?” his uncle asked him.

“Remember how my inheritance said that an item was missing? I think it’s this box. I found its twin in an antique warehouse, so I’m trying to find the one that belonged to our family. If I’m right.”

“Do you really care to have this box?” Hye-jin asked as she poured more tea for him and her father. “What are you going to do with it once you have it? Your place doesn’t even have much in it.”

“If it’s white brass, it would look quite nice with your minimalistic décor,” his aunt pointed out on his behalf.

“Yeah, so there,” Kyungsoo said to Hye-jin.

“Whatever,” his cousin said. “You’re chasing ghosts for a box instead of moving in here and making our lives miserable every day. I’m judging you.”

“You don’t even really live here much,” Kyungsoo threw back at her. “Or did you quit your apartment in Gangnam too?”

“Ugh, I got so tired of Gangnam,” she said, scrunching her nose, and Kyungsoo felt warmth spread through him, that kind of warmth that could only be felt at knowing that there still existed in the world someone that very much shared his DNA.

“We’re happy she’s moved back in for now,” Kyungsoo’s aunt said with a laugh.

“For now,” Kyungsoo said with air quotes that made his uncle laugh as well.

He hated how fast time flew, able to forget for a moment that his life didn’t usually involve warm dinners with family and conversations with people that unconditionally loved him. But he had a ghost to get rid of. He hoped getting rid of it didn’t mean getting rid of his only chance to follow this lead to its conclusion, one that hopefully meant getting to have the kind of life that afforded dinners like these on a regular basis.

***

Mist accompanied Kyungsoo, and he could feel the soft faint droplets of possible rain as he walked from the subway station to the building a tad bit earlier than he had told Jongdae to meet him. He didn’t want to completely ignore Jongdae’s directive of not getting there before him, but he needed a moment alone, just him and the building, to work through the thoughts in his head.

He stared up at the window the spirit favored and wondered what could have attracted him to it. Ghosts tended to be attracted to memories of their previous lives. Did something significant happen to him at that window? Is that where he died?

Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder to see the building that the window faced, but the floor with the window was higher than the building. Unless the spirit liked looking down at it?

“I knew you weren’t going to listen to me,” said Jongdae.

Kyungsoo turned to see him approaching from the direction of the subway station.

“I did listen,” Kyungsoo said, taking him in. He had changed into jeans and a button down shirt, but the leather jacket was still in place. “Did you get to rest?”

“I took a nap before my aunt and uncle fed me like I was a starving child,” Jongdae said.

“Yeah, my aunt and uncle did the same tonight,” Kyungsoo stated, then cleared his throat a little, trying not to focus on how the wind made Jongdae’s bangs flutter in front of his eyes. He had always loved when that happened. “I’m glad you haven’t cut your hair,” Kyungsoo then said, for no other reason than to torture himself apparently. “I always liked it a little long on you.”

“Because you liked pulling on it,” Jongdae pointed out, looking at him as if wondering why he would mention that right then.

“Well, there was that too,” Kyungsoo admitted, his ears feeling a little warm. “I hate having long hair. But I’ve always loved it on you.”

“It’s not even long,” Jongdae said, chuckling, probably feeling a little unsure and nervous about this. “It’s just my bangs that are long.”

“Still,” Kyungsoo said, and he looked down, then back up at the window. “As soon as the owner gets here, we can go inside. He locks the place up to keep people out, and maybe to keep the ghost in.”

“I like your short hair,” Jongdae then said, and Kyungsoo looked back over at him. “You brought it up so I figured I should say something back about it.”

Kyungsoo gave an embarrassed smile and nodded, passing his hand through his hair and looking down as he spotted an elegant, fluffy cat with white fur on its belly and gray and orange fur on its back, both intersecting on the cat’s very entitled face.

“Oh, hey, Tan,” Kyungsoo said with a smile, and then his body went frigid as he realized what he had just said. “Oh, hey, Tan,” he said again, slowly this time, turning carefully around.

Jongdae pulled out the rosary he always wore around his neck and turned around as well in order to point his crucifix in the direction Tan had appeared.

“Not today, Satan,” Jongdae stated.

A short man, who seemed older than them but looked much younger, casually strolled toward them, an amused grin on his cat-like face, with his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. His hair was dyed a silver-white color and two small hoop earrings hung from his right ear, glistening from the glow of the street lights.

The reaper stood right in front of them and looked toward Jongdae, then said, “I have told you many times. That does not work on me.”

“And I’ve told you many times that I’m not taking my chances,” Jongdae said with resolve as he held the crucifix with a firm hand.

“Do not worry, you are not dying today,” the reaper told him, then he looked at Kyungsoo. “Nor are you.”

“Ha!” Jongdae said, tucking his rosary back under his shirt. “See, it worked.”

Kyungsoo had first met this particular reaper on a job in Tokyo of all places, and he had been surprised when he had started speaking to him in perfect Korean instead of Japanese. His name was Minseok, and out of all the reapers Kyungsoo had run into in his profession, Minseok had been the most palatable.

“So, then why are you here?” Kyungsoo asked him, looking down to see Tan rubbing her face against her owner’s calf as she curled her body around the reaper’s leg, then looked up at Kyungsoo and blinked.

“There is a soul in that building that will require my assistance tonight,” Minseok replied, in that rather formal way of speaking that all beings from other realms seemed to speak in. Kyungsoo assumed they spoke that way on purpose because they all liked to be pretentious, though Jongdae had once mentioned thinking that they felt the need to be formal and polite since they weren’t in their realm. Kyungsoo was pretty sure reapers and demons didn’t care much about not offending humans.

“Oh, good,” Jongdae said with a smile. “It’s always nice to know in advance that I’ll be successful.”

“Yes, please do not waste my time,” Minseok told him, and Jongdae scoffed.

Mr. Park’s car pulled up then, and the owner and his security guard got out. Kyungsoo and his two companions bowed in respect, and then Kyungsoo made the introductions.

“This is Jongdae, who will be getting rid of your ghost tonight, and this is…our associate, Minseok.”

“Please do well in getting rid of this thing tonight,” the owner said to them.

“Don’t worry,” Jongdae assured him with a confident smile. “He’s as good as gone.”

Kyungsoo did always like Jongdae’s positivity and confidence when it came to his profession, and he felt giddy inside for a moment, like this was one of their early adventures in their relationship when they had decided to see what would happen if they combined their talents.

But that notion disappeared quickly once they stepped onto the haunted floor, and Kyungsoo instantly felt the chill of a presence.

“Oh, hey, this is a strong one,” Jongdae said, rubbing the sleeve of his leather jacket as if the cold had cut through it.

“Yeah, he’s upset,” Kyungsoo nodded and stopped before Sehun’s pentagram. “This is where he likes to hang out at first.”

“It’s always nice to see Sehunnie’s handiwork,” Jongdae said with a fond smile. “How is he these days?”

“In love with a demon here in Seoul,” Kyungsoo told him.

“How very Sehun,” Jongdae replied with a chuckle.

“Tan’s getting bored,” Minseok said, and Kyungsoo looked to see Tan licking her paw as she stood next to the reaper.

Jongdae opened his backpack and took out his canister of salt to cast a circle. Kyungsoo looked over at the window and felt a tug inside of him, as if he needed to go explore it one last time.

Even without the ghost, they did have a number of clues to keep the lead alive. It’d be harder, but with all that Jongin had helped uncover, he could keep investigating and hope that more clues and truths revealed themselves.

He stared out the window, at first lost in his thoughts and not paying attention to the view. He could hear Jongdae’s loud voice, instructing the spirit to leave and be at peace, but Kyungsoo continued to stare out at nothing and felt a cold wind tickle at the back of his neck and then at the bottom strands of his hair.

The hair on his arms rose as he heard a whisper in his ear say something in Korean, a word that seemed out of place, until he finally focused on his view and saw a building that might have been only a couple of blocks over. The lit-up sign on the building read the very word that had been whispered in his ear—_Samjogo_.

Jongdae’s voice grew louder as the temperature dropped even more and Kyungsoo crouched, feeling as if he was being engulfed with white noise and pressure. He put his hands over his ears and heard Jongdae yell for him to move, but he couldn’t. It was as if he was frozen in place and something was keeping him down, and then Jongdae yelled some more, and Kyungsoo felt harsh slaps of cold wind against his neck and head.

Then everything went still.

“Jesus,” Jongdae said, running to him and crouching in front of him. He pulled Kyungsoo’s hands away from his ears and asked, “Are you okay?”

Kyungsoo blinked at him, trying to focus and register that Jongdae crouched in front of him.

“Is…is it gone?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yeah, it’s gone,” Jongdae confirmed, and Kyungsoo collapsed into his ex’s arms, too exhausted to do anything else.

***

Jongin paced back and forth in his living room, looking distressed with his hands on his hips while he kept glancing at Kyungsoo.

“What the fuck happened?” Jongin asked Jongdae, as if it was his fault that he had to help Kyungsoo walk into his apartment and help him onto the couch.

“I’m not sure,” Jongdae said, running his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair in a soothing motion. “This has never happened before. I don’t know why he’s like this.”

“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo told them, though his thoughts seemed far from his actual voice.

“Did you get rid of the ghost at least?” Jongin asked Jongdae, coming over to sit on his coffee table so he could face Kyungsoo directly.

“Yeah, eventually,” Jongdae explained. “This thing didn’t want to go and kept resisting everything I was throwing at it. Then it broke the circle somehow and flew toward Kyungsoo, so I got really nasty with it and told him to get the fuck out of this universe before I unleashed Tan on him. That seemed to do the trick.”

“Tan is fucking scary,” Jongin agreed, rubbing his hand over Kyungsoo’s knee.

“It was really weird,” Jongdae said.

Kyungsoo began to tune in again, understanding finally that the event had indeed happened, and then he remembered the spirit’s word.

“Samjogo,” Kyungsoo said.

“What?” Jongin asked.

“There’s a building with the word ‘Samjogo’ on it. We have to figure out what it is, or what’s in there, or what it means.”

“Samjogo?” Jongin asked again. “I’ll look into it. You should get some rest.”

“No,” Kyungsoo shook his head and attempted to sit up straighter. “We need to look it up now.”

“Why now?” Jongdae asked, looking at him a bit suspiciously.

“Because…because it’s what the spirit whispered to me before you sent it away,” Kyungsoo licked his dry lips, realizing that it had, in fact, been the spirit that had put that word in his consciousness and directed him to look at the building in front of him.

“Soo…” Jongdae began, and Kyungsoo knew what was going to come next.

“I know I’m not a medium,” Kyungsoo told him. “I know that it could possibly be a hallucination, but…that word was whispered to me. I felt the spirit near me, on me….” He looked confused for a moment. Had he really felt that? What had happened?

Jongdae and Jongin exchanged looks, and then Jongin reached over to where his laptop sat on the coffee table.

Kyungsoo rubbed his forehead, wishing he could remember what exactly had happened, and Jongdae rubbed his hand around Kyungsoo’s back.

“Spelled like this?” Jongin asked, turning his laptop around for Kyungsoo to see the text he had input into the search box.

Kyungsoo confirmed with a nod, and Jongdae told him to relax again.

“Just rest. I’ll get us some water.”

Kyungsoo leaned back against the couch and watched as Jongin directed Jongdae toward the kitchen and told him where he could find the glasses.

It didn’t take long for Jongin to find the information they needed. Just as Jongdae returned with the water, Jongin informed them that it was a hotel.

“A luxury boutique hotel,” Jongin amended as Jongdae sat back down beside Kyungsoo on the couch and listened. “There is only one, but it’s owned by some conglomerate that owns construction and industrial companies.”

“We’ll have to go check it out,” Kyungsoo said.

“Tomorrow,” Jongdae told him, putting his hand on Kyungsoo’s thigh as if needing to physically stop him from getting up and running out of there.

“Tomorrow,” Jongin agreed, closing his laptop and setting it back on the coffee table beside him. “You want to be well-rested for whatever you might find there.”

Kyungsoo knew better than to protest against the both of them, especially in his current state, so he nodded and said, “I should get to bed then.”

“The guest room is ready for you,” Jongin let him know.

Kyungsoo nodded and looked toward Jongdae, licking his bottom lip again and knowing he shouldn’t put him in any other crazy situation for the night, but he couldn’t help the request that came out of his mouth.

“Can you stay with me?” Kyungsoo asked him, and Jongdae looked at him and seemed to contemplate this request. “I just…”

“Yeah,” Jongdae then said, taking his hand into his. “I understand.”

Kyungsoo felt relieved and then looked at Jongin who glanced away and stood up.

“Let me know if you guys need anything,” Jongin said as he left them alone in the living room, and Kyungsoo felt a small drop in his stomach, though he wasn’t in the right mind to figure out why.

And he also wasn’t in the right mind to share a bed with his ex, removing his shirt and pants and crawling into the bed without bothering to consider that Jongdae may not have appreciated the reminder of how things used to be but weren’t right now because Kyungsoo was an idiot who thought it was more important to chase ghosts than live in the present.

But Jongdae knew him so well, and he knew what he needed as he wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo, his own bare chest against Kyungsoo’s bare back. Kyungsoo let out a soft moan, missing the way that Jongdae’s small frame always fit so well against his own. He couldn’t help himself from shifting his body to face Jongdae, or sliding his hand around Jongdae’s waist and looking into his ex’s face, faintly visible by the bright city lights streaming in through the window.

At some point, one of them should have said something, or should have suggested they sleep apart, or just go to sleep, but Kyungsoo leaned in to kiss Jongdae instead, and when Jongdae reciprocated, Kyungsoo didn’t stop himself from deepening it and then pushing it further. His hands found all of his favorite parts of Jongdae to touch, and he was rewarded with touches in return.

The problem with the familiar is that it felt safe, and that was exactly what Kyungsoo needed right then to rid himself of the cold chill against his neck, and the intruder’s whisper in his ear, and the overall feeling that something felt very, very wrong with this whole situation.

So he didn’t stop himself from pinning Jongdae down to the bed, or bucking his hips hard against his and becoming more excited by each of Jongdae’s loud groans. And he certainly didn’t stop himself from allowing Jongdae to pin him in return and suck down hard on Kyungsoo’s neck, the warmth in that spot exactly what Kyungsoo needed to make him feel sane again.

They gripped each other in the dark, knowing exactly the strokes and pressure the other liked, and Kyungsoo tugged hard at Jongdae’s hair eliciting exactly the high-pitched whiny sound of pleasure that brought Kyungsoo to the edge. And after, when they were in each other’s arms, skin hot and sticky, Kyungsoo took in Jongdae’s familiar scent and knew that he wanted him back in his life.

He just wasn’t sure if the ghosts would let him have what he wanted.

***

Kyungsoo met the hazy morning with adrenaline and a desire to keep his lead moving. He took a quick shower and tried to not linger too much by the bed, watching Jongdae sleep as he put his clothes back on. He resisted the urge to drop a kiss on his cheek and instead put two fingers to his lips and kissed them instead, holding them out until he lined them up with Jongdae’s cheek in the distance.

He felt light as he walked to the kitchen to get himself some water, but then a sinking feeling hit his stomach when he saw Jongin in there, leaning against his kitchen counter and drinking his morning coffee as he stared at nothing in particular.

“Morning,” Kyungsoo said to him, and Jongin looked over at him and placed a smile on his face.

“Morning,” he said back. “Let me pour you a cup.”

Kyungsoo let him and watched him go through the motions, looking straight out of a high-end magazine in his golden satin robe with his blond hair sticking out in different directions.

Once Jongin had poured in exactly the amount of cream and sugar that Kyungsoo liked, he handed him the cup. Kyungsoo took a sip and then looked up at him.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo said, and Jongin gave a nod as he took another sip. “And sorry. About last night. I shouldn’t have stayed.”

“You very well should have stayed,” Jongin told him. “Nothing to be sorry about. You were in no condition to go home.”

“Yeah, but…I could’ve given Jongdae the room and taken the couch.”

“Are you trying to apologize to me for hooking up with your ex?” Jongin asked, a small smirk playing on his lips. “You guys have things to work out. Do it however you see fit.”

“Yeah, but,” Kyungsoo wasn’t sure until that moment what that sinking feeling in his stomach was about, but now it was clear to him, and he blinked a few times, “I don’t want you to feel like I was using you.”

Jongin let out his dorky laugh then said, “I’m a god. I’m used to being used.”

Kyungsoo sighed and felt even worse somehow, but seeing Jongin in a good mood, or pretending to be anyway, helped Kyungsoo feel hopeful again about the day’s lead.

“So, can we go to the hotel now?”

“You guys are gonna go,” Jongin said as he checked the time on his phone. “I have to get ready for my date with Mr. Park’s son.”

Kyungsoo felt surprised by this and needed confirmation, “Wait, you…what?”

“Yep, turns out the building owner’s nerdy son is kinda hot,” Jongin stated, then seemed to think as he looked up as he amended. “Really hot, actually.”

“Wow,” Kyungsoo said, “this might be the first lead where you hook up with the mom and the son.”

“Step-mom,” Jongin corrected him, “and I haven’t had to actually hook up with her yet, but the son, I’m working on that.”

“Well, work on getting the information we need first, please and thank you.”

“I will,” Jongin assured him as he noticed Jongdae shuffling toward them while he rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. “And you work on finding out what the deal with this hotel is without getting attacked by a spirit again.”

“Deal,” Kyungsoo assured him, and then he smiled at Jongdae as he reached them. “You definitely need coffee?”

“I definitely need coffee,” Jongdae agreed, and Kyungsoo chuckled.

Jongin poured him a cup, asking him how he took it and then making it for him just that way before handing it to him and leaving for his room to get ready for his date.

Kyungsoo and Jongdae stood quietly in the kitchen for a moment, enjoying their coffee and stealing glances at each other. Kyungsoo thought he should tell him that he was stupid and beg for his forgiveness, and then assure him that they were still together, but Jongdae spoke first.

“Are we going to the hotel now?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo replied.

Jongdae sipped more of his coffee then said, “Let me go shower then. Where does he keep his towels?”

“The hallway closet. Take your pick of the most luxurious towels you’ll ever use.”

Jongdae snickered then said, “Only Jongin,” before finishing his coffee and moving to the sink to wash it.

Kyungsoo smiled and thought about being back home and in his own kitchen, doing this like they used to before going through all of Kyungsoo’s ghost hunting requests and seeing which one they wanted to take on that day. Sometimes they wouldn’t even choose one, reading through them all while flirting with each other and ending up having sex on the couch instead and ordering food, not caring about the ghost world that was out there waiting for them.

Maybe they could get back to that life together soon. But first, they had a hotel to visit.

***

The Samjogo Hotel was not the type of hotel that one walked into wearing the same clothes they wore the night before, and Kyungsoo realized that he was going to need to start leaving a change of clothes at Jongin’s if that’s where they were going to keep reconvening. He’d have to suggest the same to Jongdae as well, as he looked over at him and watched him politely ask the concierge where the café was.

They had already investigated the front lobby and bar area, and nothing had looked or seemed out of the ordinary yet. Jongdae thanked the concierge with his infectious smile and motioned for Kyungsoo to follow him through a new lounging area that had a fountain in the middle and white sofas around to rest. The entire décor of the hotel was a combination of white, red, and gold, with ancient Korean tapestries on the walls and statues of birds dotting the empty spaces between them.

“Still not sensing anything?” Kyungsoo asked him, pressing the button on the sliding glass door that then slid open to allow them into the café.

“Not a thing,” Jongdae confirmed.

They ordered coffees and sat at a table, taking out their phones to try and do some research on the hotel itself.

“It was named after the mythical three-legged crow that represents the sun,” Jongdae said, picking up his napkin with a design of a bird on it. “That explains why there are birds all over the place.”

“Ah,” Kyungsoo said, nodding at the enlightenment. He then shared his own finding, “The hotel was built in the last five years, so it’s pretty new.”

Jongdae put his phone down and sighed, then looked at Kyungsoo for a moment, tapping his fingers on the table.

“Soo, are you sure you heard the spirit say this word to you, or were you caught up in the moment and just happened to see the word on the hotel before you went down?”

“I heard it,” Kyungsoo told him. “I know it’s not normal.”

“Have you ever heard a spirit talk to you before?”

“No,” Kyungsoo said and bit his bottom lip. “I’ve never had a spirit kill my gear either. Twice.”

Jongdae wrinkled his nose at this and shook his head.

“This is a really weird situation. Something about it seems…”

“Not right?” Kyungsoo finished for him. “I know. I mean, on the one hand, it feels like I’m on the right track, but on the other…something’s not right.”

Kyungsoo’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at it to see Baekhyun and his goofy peace-sign pose staring back at him.

“Hey, what’s up?” Kyungsoo answered the call.

“Where are you?” Baekhyun asked. He sounded hurried with a lot of background noise behind him.

“At a place called the Samjogo Hotel, which is…”

“Get out of there,” Baekhyun said. “Go back to Jongin’s and wait for me to get there. I’m boarding a flight now.”

“What? Why?” Kyungsoo asked, but even as he asked, he felt his heart race, and then the line disconnected. “Shit,” Kyungsoo said. He tried to call him back, but all he got was his voicemail.

“What’s wrong?” Jongdae asked, sitting straight up and on alert.

“Baekhyun said to get out of here and go back to Jongin’s.”

“Why?”

Kyungsoo shrugged and stood up only to find two security guards walking toward their table.

“This can’t be good,” Kyungsoo remarked, and Jongdae stood up as well.

The two security guards stood in front of them, and then the taller one said, “You need to accompany us please,” to Kyungsoo. He felt that familiar tingle go up his spine that happened whenever things were about to go wrong.

“I was just leaving,” Kyungsoo tried to explain, but a firm hand gripped his upper arm, which left no argument.

“Hey,” Jongdae said, attempting to grab Kyungsoo’s hand to pull him away, but the other security guard blocked him with his body.

“You can wait for your friend in here,” the shorter security guard told him.

“It’s okay, sit down,” Kyungsoo told Jongdae, even though he was sure the look on his face conveyed that he was not okay and, instead, freaked out.

Jongdae tried to protest again to no avail as the guards escorted Kyungsoo out of the café. He finally freed his arm from the security guard and rubbed it as he glared at the taller man. They took him into the elevator and up a couple of floors, apparently to where the hotel offices were, based on the name plaques outside of each door.

When they reached the end of the hall, a set of double doors awaited them, and the security guard who had grabbed Kyungsoo’s arm opened it and bowed to the man sitting behind the desk.

“Welcome,” the middle-aged man in a dark gray three-piece suit said, giving him a smile that seemed counterintuitive to the current situation. “Please be kind with our guest,” the man then said to the security guards.

“I’m not a guest,” Kyungsoo explained. “I was just getting coffee at the café.”

“All who enter are guests,” the man said, motioning for Kyungsoo to take a seat.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath and then sat in the chair, facing the man and asking him, “Is there a problem?”

“None at all,” the older man said, looking him over, and Kyungsoo looked him over as well, noting the perfectly slicked back black mane on his head and the chiseled features that gave him an air of power and authority. “Rumor has it that you’re a ghost hunter. Is that true?”

“That’s not really a rumor,” Kyungsoo said, looking around for evidence of who this guy was and what he wanted. Unfortunately, his office had been missing a name outside the door.

The man chuckled in a forced way and said, “I suppose it’s not. Either way, I assume you’re here to rid spirits. I hate to disappoint you. Our hotel is new, and while guests like to attribute the sounds of a new building settling to spirits and things of that nature, I assure you that nothing of that kind exists in here.”

“Great,” Kyungsoo said with a smile, “then I guess I’ll be leaving.”

The man chuckled again then said, “Of course, if anyone would know if I was wrong, it’d be you. Isn’t that right?”

Kyungsoo was beginning to lose his patience.

“What is it that you want?” Kyungsoo finally asked him.

“It is I that wishes to ask you that. Why are you here?”

“To drink coffee at your café. For the record, it wasn’t that good,” Kyungsoo figured he should let him know.

“I’ll have the staff issue you a refund, but what I wish to know is why are you looking for ghosts in this hotel?” The man leaned forward with his hands clasped, expecting an answer that Kyungsoo didn’t know how to give.

Being honest was said to always be the best policy, but this guy didn’t seem to be that trustworthy, plus he hadn’t exactly been welcoming with his aggressive security guards. Still, this was Kyungsoo’s lead, and his lead had led him to this hotel.

“I’m not sure,” Kyungsoo told him, and he hoped that somehow his tone conveyed the sincerity of his answer.

“You’re not sure? Who sent you?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Kyungsoo told him. “I don’t know why I was told to come here, and I don’t know what I’m looking for, but like you said, there’s nothing here. So it looks like this is an empty lead, and I’m here for no reason.”

The man narrowed his eyes at him, and Kyungsoo could hear the slight tap of his foot against the carpet.

“It is imperative that I know why you were sent,” the man said.

“I don’t know why,” Kyungsoo said again.

The man sighed and relaxed his posture a bit, unclenching his hands from the other.

“Perhaps I should tell you why I think you were sent then.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t have asked for a better turn of events, and he nodded, leaning in a bit. “That might be helpful,” he agreed.

“However,” the man said, and Kyungsoo mentally cursed, knowing this had been too good to be true, “I’m not sure you are trustworthy of such knowledge.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Kyungsoo let him know.

The man smirked and moved his hands up as if to motion around him.

“This hotel may not be haunted, but I know of a place that is. I have a piece of land where a series of homes sit uninhabited. It appears something tragic may have occurred on that land since any time I try to demolish the homes, something keeps me from doing so. Get rid of that spirit, and I will tell you everything you want to know.”

“How do I know this isn’t a trick? How do I know you actually know something that I need to know?”

“Ah, yes, I suppose you would need a sort of down payment.” The man leaned in again, looking into his eyes as he clasped his hands on the table once more. “The item you’re looking for. I know where it is.”

Kyungsoo’s heart raced as the man sat back against his chair with a satisfied smirk on his face. It was very much the kind of smirk that Kyungsoo wanted to punch right off him, but Baekhyun’s words on their short call came back to him and that feeling that something wasn’t right weighed heavy in his stomach.

Still. A lead was a lead, and this man knew he was looking for something, and based upon him even knowing who Kyungsoo was in the first place, he had a feeling that this man knew a lot of things Kyungsoo needed to know.

“Where’s the location?” Kyungsoo asked.

Every red flag in his mind waved furiously.

***

“No,” Jongdae said as he kept up with Kyungsoo’s quick pace. The location was only six stops away on the subway line closest to the hotel, and Kyungsoo estimated he’d get there in about twenty minutes or so. “Soo, stop,” Jongdae said, finally grabbing Kyungsoo’s forearm to stop him from walking. “This is crazy. You know this is crazy. Baekhyun told us to go back to Jongin’s and wait for him.”

“And that’s what I’m going to do,” Kyungsoo said, “after I check out this site and see what I’m working with.”

“No, we’re going back now. Jongin’s already on his way back to wait for us. You see how that works? He was working on a lead too, and he stopped to get back to safety and wait further instruction.”

“This guy has answers, Dae,” Kyungsoo said, pleading with his eyes for the exorcist to understand. “We can end this sooner if…”

“No,” Jongdae said, shaking his head. “I will call in backup to get your ass down to Jongin’s.”

“This is why I’m here,” Kyungsoo whined. “This. Exactly this. I’m here to find the item that’s missing from my inheritance.”

“No,” Jongdae said, and it hurt Kyungsoo to see no mirth in Jongdae’s usually bright eyes as he stared at him. “You’re here because you think you’re responsible for your parents’ death. No matter how many times we tell you it’s not your fault, no matter how many times your therapist tells you it’s not your fault, no matter how many times the facts prove it’s not your fault, you still want to think it’s your fault.”

Kyungsoo stood still, feeling numb at the accusations being thrown at him. Accusations that he couldn’t deny the validity of because he did feel responsible, and that was something no one else around him could understand. They weren’t there. They didn’t see what he saw.

“It doesn’t matter,” Kyungsoo said, softly, and he cleared his throat.

“It does matter,” Jongdae said, calm and giving him a careful look. “You’re chasing ghosts because it’s your way of trying to still have your parents. You can’t accept that they’re gone, so you’re looking for them. But you have to stop, Kyungsoo. This is becoming dangerous, and you know it.”

“You…” Kyungsoo licked his bottom lip and tried to think before he said the obvious, “don’t understand.”

“I understand,” Jongdae said, moving his hand down Kyungsoo’s forearm to take his hand. “But I’m also on the outside looking in. This isn’t safe. Let’s find out what Baekhyun found out and go from there. Okay?”

The red flags in his head seemed to agree with Jongdae, and so he relented, letting Jongdae guide him to the line that would take them to Jongin’s place instead.

***

When Jongdae had said that Jongin had abandoned his lead to get back to his place, he had only been partially right. Jongin welcomed them into his home, hugging Kyungsoo and asking him if he was alright.

“He’s annoyed because I wouldn’t let him go to the site,” Jongdae told him as he walked passed them.

“What site?” Jongin asked, and Kyungsoo pat his back and told him he was fine.

Kyungsoo walked into the living room where a man sat on the couch with a wine glass in his hand, looking at them with the most expressive brown eyes Kyungsoo had ever seen.

“Guys, meet Chanyeol,” Jongin said with quick introductions. “Chanyeol, these are my friends, Kyungsoo and Jongdae. Let me get more drinks.”

Kyungsoo dropped his backpack to the side of the sofa, taking in the man who appeared tall even as he sat.

“Nice to meet you, Chanyeol,” Jongdae said with a big smile and extended hand.

“Nice to meet you as well,” Chanyeol said, returning the smile and handshake.

“Oh, your English is so good,” Jongdae commented, sitting beside him on the couch as if he was an old friend.

Kyungsoo sat on the armchair, watching the interaction and trying to figure out why he couldn’t move on from this man’s appearance. He wore a soft gray sweater and navy blue slacks, his hair styled up and to the side and his eyes blinking as he watched Jongdae with an attentive but shy smile on his face.

“I hope it is,” Chanyeol replied with a small laugh. Not a chuckle, or a giggle, but a deep laugh that had the potential to turn into a much bigger one. “I grew up in international boarding schools. It’d be sad if I hadn’t picked up English along the way.”

“Oh wow, how many languages do you speak?” Jongdae asked, and Chanyeol looked toward Kyungsoo as if checking to see if he was interested as well, then looked back at Jongdae and said, “Three well and two others quite badly.”

“Which ones?” Jongdae wanted to know.

Jongin returned with a tray of wine glasses filled with liquid sparkling ever so slightly and set it on the coffee table.

“I speak Korean, Japanese, and English fluently. I stumble my way through Spanish and French.”

“That’s so cool,” Jongdae said, almost cooing, and he reached toward the tray to grab a spritzer.

Jongin sat on the other side of Chanyeol on the couch with a pleasant smile on his face, looking between Chanyeol and Jongdae. Kyungsoo suddenly wondered if he was in a parallel universe where no one outside of him cared that there was a site that needed investigation or that Baekhyun had appeared to be warning them about something.

“Are we just going to sit here and act like everything’s okay?” Kyungsoo said, watching them.

“Calm down,” Jongdae told him.

“What exactly happened?” Jongin asked, grabbing a spritzer for himself and crossing his leg over the other as he told Chanyeol, “This is the ghost hunter I was telling you about.” Jongin looked back at Kyungsoo, while Chanyeol looked surprised and nodded.

“Kyungsoo got kidnapped by the owner of the hotel,” Jongdae said, his voice full of the type of excitement from being scared and not at all from being thrilled. “I didn’t know what to do, so that’s why I called you and told you about Baekhyun’s warning and how Kyungsoo was kidnapped. But then he was released and said he had to go investigate a site.”

“I wasn’t kidnapped,” Kyungsoo said.

“Then what happened?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo looked between him and his guest, then gave Jongin a look, not sure this was something to be discussed in front of the son of a lead.

Jongin made a motion for him to hurry up and say something, giving him a look back as if he didn’t care.

“I…the owner wanted me to help him get rid of a ghost,” Kyungsoo stated.

“What?” Jongin asked, looking at Jongdae confused.

“How did he know you hunted ghosts?” Jongdae asked.

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said, and he ran his hand through his hair feeling frustrated. “I don’t know what’s going on. But he knows things that I need to know, and he’ll give me the information I need if I get rid of this spirit for him.”

“Oh, extortion, yeah, that always works out well,” Jongdae said, throwing his hand up in frustration.

“This doesn’t sound like a good situation, Soo,” Jongin said, looking at him carefully.

“It’s a lead, and it’s a good one,” Kyungsoo told him, “And we should be there now investigating it.”

“Send Sehun,” Jongin then said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Brilliant,” Jongdae said, pointing at Jongin with a smile.

“It has to be me,” Kyungsoo protested.

“It has to be you that ultimately goes to deal with it,” Jongdae pointed out. “Doesn’t mean you can’t get someone to do some recon for you. Jongin’s right. Have Sehun investigate the site and then have him come over and report his findings.”

“I love this idea,” Jongin said. “More people means I’ll get to entertain. I’ll have some food delivered and we…”

“This isn’t a party,” Kyungsoo said, looking at his best friend with frustration, and then he stood up. “I’m going home.”

“No,” Jongin said, reaching his hand out as if to calm him, “You’re not going anywhere. Baekhyun said…”

“I don’t care. I’m going home. I need a change of clothes, and I don’t want to be around a party when I should be doing something.”

“I could use a change of clothes too,” Jongdae said, “Give me your keys. I’ll go to your place and pack a bag for you, then I’ll stop by my place and do the same.”

“That’s not…” Kyungsoo began, but Jongdae cut him off with a look that meant he was done playing around.

“You’re staying here. Where you’re safe for now,” Jongdae said.

“And what about your safety?” Kyungsoo told him, challenging him with his steady gaze.

“I’m not the one that got held hostage by a hotel owner today,” Jongdae shot him down.

He put his palm out for the keys, and Kyungsoo had no choice but to hand them over.

***

For his own sanity, and to try and get out of the terrible mood he was in, Kyungsoo ended up taking a nap after Jongdae left, and it was with the return of Jongdae’s loud voice that he woke up.

“I always liked this shirt on you, so I brought it,” Jongdae said with a smile.

He had dumped their duffel bags on the bed and opened it to show Kyungsoo what he had grabbed for him.

“I’ll make sure to wear it to the site when I’m finally allowed to go,” Kyungsoo mumbled, still half-asleep.

They switched places, Jongdae finally taking a nap while Kyungsoo shuffled out to the living room to find Jongin and Chanyeol in conversation, Jongin making his guest’s eyes light up as he often did when telling some story about one of his escapades.

Chanyeol noticed him first, and Jongin looked over and smiled.

“Oh, you’re up. Feeling better?”

“I’m hungry,” Kyungsoo said, moping as he sat back in the armchair.

“Well lucky for you, I have leftover ramen in the fridge. I’ll go warm it up for you.”

Jongin got up and left Kyungsoo alone with Chanyeol, who seemed to become smaller somehow as he focused his attention on picking up his glass of water from the coffee table.

After a moment of silence, Chanyeol cleared his throat and said, “Um…” and Kyungsoo looked over at him, the man seeming tentative to complete his thought, but then he continued, “Jongin said that you had some cool gear and that if I asked nicely you would show it to me. May I please see it?”

Whatever frustrations, defenses, aggravations, and general moodiness Kyungsoo conveyed dissipated in that moment, as Kyungsoo felt a soft warmth within him at the man’s careful request. It was, if Kyungsoo had to find a word to describe it, adorable.

“Yeah, sure,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a small smile to try and make the man feel a little more at ease. He now felt bad that he had probably made the visitor feel tense for no reason.

Kyungsoo got up from the armchair and grabbed his backpack, sitting next to Chanyeol in the warm space that Jongin had vacated. He opened his backpack and he pulled out his EMF meter first.

“This detects electromagnetic radiation,” he explained as he turned it on and it lit up, then the light died down as it settled into its normal state. “Ghosts are made up of energy, so they emit EM radiation. Sometimes. All ghosts are different. Like people,” he said with another soft smile that made Jongin’s tall guest smile as well. “Some ghosts may not emit any but manipulate magnetic fields instead. Either way, this lets me know if I might be dealing with something or not.”

He gave it to Chanyeol to hold, and Chanyeol said, “Whoa,” as he looked at it in amazement while Kyungsoo pulled out his next item.

“This is just a digital voice recorder to pick up sounds. And this is an infrared thermometer. It’s really cool because you press this button and a laser shoots out and records the temperature of whatever you’re pointing it at.”

He demonstrated it for Chanyeol who said, “Whoa, wow,” and then he let him try it, watching as Chanyeol’s eyes lit up even more. The tall guest let out a bigger laugh as he collected readings on different objects, and Kyungsoo smiled, sensing this had been the laugh he was capable of once he had loosened up.

Jongin came back to the living room with the warmed-up ramen, looking amused and taking a seat in the vacated armchair.

“I want to buy all these things and hunt ghosts too,” Chanyeol said, now playing with Kyungsoo’s spirit box.

“It’s not as glamourous as Kyungsoo makes it look,” Jongin told him. “I once went with him, and it was really boring.”

“Jongin’s not a fan of waiting around for things to happen,” Kyungsoo explained.

“Neither are you,” Jongin said, kicking his foot out to hit Kyungsoo’s shin, which Kyungsoo narrowly avoided, moving it just in time.

“I admit that I get impatient,” Kyungsoo said as he put his things back in his backpack, “which is why I was glad when I met Sehun,” and then he explained to Chanyeol, “Sehun’s a necromancer. He uses magic to summon spirits, so I don’t have to wait around for them to show up.”

“Wh…whaaat?” Chanyeol asked looking between Kyungsoo and Jongin.

“The ghost hunting world is an interesting one,” Jongin said with a chuckle. “Many different talents exist.”

“But…magic isn’t real,” Chanyeol stated, looking at both of them as if making sure they knew that.

“Yeah, I thought that too,” Kyungsoo smiled, “until I met Sehun.”

“He’s really good at it,” Jongin agreed, and then he took a glance at his golden Rolex. “Speaking of which, I hope he’s doing alright at the site. I’d been hoping to have heard from him by now.”

Kyungsoo put his backpack back down by the couch and grabbed his bowl of ramen, taking a ravenous slurp of his noodles. He hadn’t eaten since right before they had left to go to the hotel, and his stomach was grateful for the nourishment.

“So…” Chanyeol said, watching Kyungsoo for a moment and then blinking and looking over at Jongin, “What are the different talents that exist?”

“Well,” Jongin said, “Of course, you have people like Kyungsoo, who are good at hunting ghosts. You have necromancers like Sehun, who use magic to call on spirits and talk to them. You have mediums. Our friend Baekhyun, who called and will be here tomorrow, is a medium. Unlike necromancers, mediums don’t use magic. They just naturally sense spirits and can interact with them. Sometimes they can use telepathy, sometimes they fall into a trance, sometimes they channel the spirit, and so on. Jongdae is an exorcist, but he’s also learned the art of expelling ghosts like a medium, so he can get rid of both ghosts and demons.”

“Wait, demons?” Chanyeol asked.

“Yeah, very different from ghosts,” Jongin nodded. “Exorcism is only for demons because, well they’re not human, so…. You can ask him about it later,” Jongin waved off, then ticked off another digit on his finger, “Then, well, then it starts to get more complicated.”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol said, leaning forward as if not wanting to miss a detail.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to find his curiosity endearing as he slurped more of his ramen.

“Like, for example, reapers.”

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes and asked, “Like the grim reaper?”

“Exactly. Except there’s not just one grim reaper,” Jongin let him know. “I mean, how can one reaper take care of all the souls that must move on from our world, right? There’s a ton of them, all over the world, and sometimes they show up when you’re working a ghost case, and it’s annoying because they’re all assholes.”

“Grade A assholes,” Kyungsoo agreed while inhaling the pork from his ramen.

“I think you lost me,” Chanyeol said as he looked between them. “The grim reaper is real?”

“Reapers, angels, demons,” Jongin waved off again. “All real.”

Chanyeol didn’t seem to buy it, and Kyungsoo didn’t blame him. He hadn’t believed 90% of it until he had physically interacted with each being the first time.

“So…then what is your talent?” Chanyeol asked Jongin.

“Oh, God,” Kyungsoo said, not sure if he wanted to sit through Jongin waxing poetic about himself for the next hour.

“Exactly,” Jongin said with a smirk. “I am a god.”

“A…” Chanyeol looked dubious, and then he started cracking up in a way that made Kyungsoo halt his eating and stare, blinking as the man doubled over and then fell off the couch and onto the floor, clutching his stomach as he laughed louder and louder.

Which made Kyungsoo chuckle, and then laugh, and then soon he was laughing loudly because the image of a grown man on the floor dying of laughter was too funny to not join in with.

Jongin, for his part, pouted and asked, “What’s so funny about that?”

“Is everything okay?” Jongdae asked, rushing out and looking confused, and then, assessing the situation, he ended up laughing with them.

“Why are you laughing?” Jongin asked him.

“I don’t know, but this is funny,” Jongdae said, dropping to his knees as he laughed, which made Chanyeol and Kyungsoo laugh even more.

***

The fried chicken that Jongin ordered for their evening get-together arrived before Sehun did. Kyungsoo had felt nervous the entire time they had been waiting, texting Sehun but receiving no response. He hoped he hadn’t sent his necromancer to his death.

But a knock on the door and the voice of Sehun saying hello to Jongin as he entered the hallway filled Kyungsoo with relief, and he finally grabbed a piece of chicken, even though he still felt a bit full from his ramen earlier.

“Wait wait, whoa, what…” Jongdae said, grabbing for the rosary around his neck.

“No, it’s okay,” Sehun said, waving his hands in the air for Jongdae to stop. “He’s with me.”

“Oh, the demon you’re dating,” Kyungsoo said with a smile. He looked at the man, much shorter than Sehun, that stepped in behind him. The demon bowed and greeted them in Korean, letting them know his name was Junmyeon.

They greeted him back, and Kyungsoo took in the man’s posh appearance: designer pants, shirts, shoes, watch, even the necklace with an upside down pentagram charm hanging from it seemed to be custom made from an expensive cut of platinum. Junmyeon was handsome and unassuming, with a disposition of superiority often found in demons.

“What do you mean ‘demon’?” Chanyeol asked the room.

“Demons are only a notch more tolerable than reapers,” Jongin told him in lieu of answering his question, passing plates to Sehun and Junmyeon.

“Hey,” Sehun said, “Junmyeon’s nice.”

“I used to be less nice,” Junmyeon said in English, his accent heavy, “but then I met Sehun.” The demon looked at the necromancer with warmth, and Kyungsoo swore he could see the hearts in Sehun’s eyes.

“This is really cute,” Jongdae said, his eyes slivers of merriment as he shifted on the couch to face the two new arrivals better.

“So tell us about the site,” Kyungsoo said, needing to get down to business. There’d be time for cute couple stuff later.

“Oh, dude,” Sehun said, finishing the piece of chicken that had been in his mouth before continuing, “you don’t want to go there.”

“That’s not really an option,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“Why?” Jongin asked. “What happened?”

“The moment I stepped on that block I got a bad vibe. I’m really glad I brought Junmyeon with me because I’m not sure I would have ventured passed the sidewalk by myself. It’s heavy. Like, you know when you accidentally walk into a demon den and you know it because you feel this pressure in the air weighing you down in darkness and evil?”

“Our strong presence cannot be helped,” Junmyeon said as he reached for a chicken thigh.

“Well it felt like that,” Sehun said.

“So…we’re dealing with demons?” Kyungsoo tried to clarify.

“Junmyeon said they weren’t demons,” Sehun pointed out.

“They acted like demons,” Junmyeon explained, “but they’re vengeful entities.”

Kyungsoo’s stomach sunk, knowing this could mean only one thing.

“No,” Kyungsoo said.

“Yep,” Sehun nodded, “poltergeists.”

“Uh,” Chanyeol said, looking confused, “aren’t those ghosts?”

“Not exactly,” Jongdae explained. “Ghosts are the residual energy of people who died and haven’t crossed over yet, but sometimes all that energy that spirits give off takes on a life of its own and forms an entity.”

“And it’s never good,” Jongin said, shaking his head.

“This energy was so palpable that I don’t think we’re talking about just one evil poltergeist,” Sehun told them. “I couldn’t sense them all, but Junmyeon said he thought there might be at least five different entities.”

“Nope, nope, and nope,” Jongdae said. “There’s no way you’re going there, Soo.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t argue this point. Even he knew that dealing with poltergeists was a possible death sentence.

“So then what do I do?” Kyungsoo asked, feeling defeated as he looked over at Jongin.

“We wait for Baekhyun,” Jongin told him and gave him an encouraging smile. “He knows something. He’ll have more insight for us when he gets here.”

Kyungsoo had no choice but to sit there, eat chicken, and do nothing. He felt on edge and nervous, sharp pangs of anxiety coursing through him.

At some point in the evening, after being entertained by Sehun explaining at Chanyeol’s request how he used magic to conjure spirits, Chanyeol looked at Jongin and asked, “How do you know if you have a talent?”

“What are you good at?” Jongdae asked him with an amused smile.

“And what are you interested in?” Sehun followed up brightly.

“And why would you want to do this?” Kyungsoo then added. Someone had to ask the important question.

“I think it’s fascinating,” Chanyeol said, answering his question first. “I’m good at games. All games. I can usually figure out solutions to puzzles in good time and solve riddles. And I’m good at…uh, doing those things.”

“Sounds like you could be a good ghost hunter,” Jongin humored him with a smile, but Kyungsoo needed his friends to stop encouraging this before they convinced this guy to put himself in a situation where he’d be in danger.

“It’s not for everyone,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Can I go with you guys on your next ghost hunt?” Chanyeol asked, looking between Kyungsoo and Jongdae. “Then I can see if it’s for me.”

Kyungsoo glanced at Jongin who looked endeared by Chanyeol as he stared at him like he was a cute dog he wanted to pet, and then he sensed Kyungsoo was looking at him and said, “Uh, yeah, right, Soo?”

Confusion took over Kyungsoo’s mind, and he realized he wasn’t going to get anywhere in this situation, so instead he stood up and asked Jongin if he didn’t mind having a word with him alone.

They stepped into the master bedroom, and Kyungsoo ran his hand through his hair, sorting out the words in his mind. Jongin closed the door and faced him.

“What is going on here?” Kyungsoo verbally pounced. “What are you doing with him? You were supposed to find out information, not bring him completely into the loop.”

Jongin motioned with his hands for Kyungsoo to calm down and stepped closer to him.

“Most of my tactics weren’t working on him,” Jongin explained, “and then he started talking about some ghost hunting game he was playing, and I mentioned that my best friend was a ghost hunter. Next thing I know, I don’t exist and all he wants to know is everything about you. So, I realized there was an opportunity here. Instead of me trying to get closer to him, you can do it instead and find out everything you need.”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, exasperated and looking at Jongin as if he had lost his mind. “Oh, hey, your dad made me get rid of a scary ghost that led me to being held hostage by a hotel owner. Let’s be friends?”

“Yeah,” Jongin nodded, “that works. Honestly, I think he’d be really into that.”

“Nini,” Kyungsoo said, his patience lost.

“Okay, okay,” Jongin said, putting his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders to steady him. “I know you’re on edge right now, but this isn’t the worst idea. And it’s certainly a better idea than going into a poltergeist den by yourself and getting killed. There are countless ghosts in this city. Take him on a hunt and use it to get to know him better and find out what you need to know. I know this hotel thing screwed with your head, but don’t forget that you have other leads. This is now the best one you have.”

As often happened, his best friend was right, and he let out a big breath and nodded.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said. “Let’s hear what Baekhyun has to say tomorrow, and then I’ll figure it out from there.”

“Perfect,” Jongin said, and he pulled Kyungsoo into a hug, probably because he had sensed that he needed it, which he had, even if Kyungsoo hadn’t realized it until then. He held onto Jongin, and gave him a squeeze, the tension and anxiety releasing just enough.

That night, as he once again stayed in the guest room with his ex, Jongdae rubbed soothing circles around Kyungsoo’s bare back and massaged some of his most tense muscles, placing gentle kisses in between before attacking a new one.

Kyungsoo thought back to everything that had happened that day, from the hotel, to meeting Chanyeol, to discovering that he had been sent essentially to his demise. He realized that the only reason he was still alive in this moment was because of the man giving him affection to attempt to calm him and take his worries and stresses away.

He turned around and took Jongdae with him, cuddling him close and placing a kiss on his lips, then smoothing the strands of Jongdae’s bangs away from his eyes.

“Do you know what the best thing I did today was?” Kyungsoo asked him, taking in his scent, a bit of fried chicken mixed in with his natural musk.

“What’s that?”

“Listen to you when you told me not to go to the site.”

Jongdae shifted to move his leg over Kyungsoo’s, pushing himself closer and running his fingers over Kyungsoo’s cheek.

“That was definitely the best thing you did today.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo told him.

Jongdae stayed quiet a moment, continuing to caress his cheek and watch him, and Kyungsoo could tell that there was something he wanted to say to him, so he waited for it.

“Babe,” Jongdae said, “we both have felt that something doesn’t seem right, and I think now we have a confirmation of that. I know how you are. I know what this means to you and how important it is to you. And me, Jongin, all of us are here to help you. You…you need to trust us. We’re looking out for you. Just trust us, okay?”

“If you’re asking me to promise that I’ll listen to you again when you say no, then...,” Kyungsoo stopped himself and closed his eyes, then nodded, “I’ll do my best.”

Jongdae gave him a kiss, which Kyungsoo knew didn’t mean he was okay with that answer. He was accepting it as the best he could get for now. Deep down inside, Kyungsoo knew he had to listen to those closest to him. Things weren’t right, and danger seemed to be right around the corner. He had to listen.

***

Baekhyun arrived at Jongin’s place as he normally arrived anywhere, loud and bouncing with energy. He greeted everyone with big hugs and laughter, his small eyes scrunching even smaller each time his cheeks raised for a wide smile as he saw each new person to hug.

Kyungsoo hugged Baekhyun tight at the sight of him and, once he let go, he looked over at the two companions he had brought along. Yixing, he had expected, but he hadn’t thought Irene would be there as well.

“This is insane. I had to come,” Irene explained as she hugged him tight.

Kyungsoo smiled at her, though her words made him worried about what it was that Baekhyun needed to tell them.

He gave Yixing a hug next, always happy and relieved to see the angel that had shown up in their lives after that awful night that he had almost lost Baekhyun. Yixing had made sure to be by Baekhyun’s side since then, and that made him one of Kyungsoo’s most favorite beings in the world.

The angel with the calm disposition and sleepy eyes hugged him back then said, “You’ll be fine.”

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure how to take that, but he was eager to find out what exactly was going on thanks to all of these weird things being said to him.

“This is such a great view!” Baekhyun said, putting his hands on the window and pressing his face against the glass. “It’s like I’m flying.”

“It’s always an honor to see you, your gloriousness,” Yixing said to Jongin, giving him a bow. Jongin pulled him into a warm hug and told him it was always good to see one of his faves.

“Are these custom made?” Irene asked Jongin, inspecting the black and gold sculptures, to which he replied that they were not.

“I got up early this morning to get us snacks from Tous Les Jour,” Jongin announced, having placed an arrangement on the coffee table. The new arrivals attacked the snacks, very much as anyone on that long of a flight would, and everyone settled in, Jongin bringing a pitcher of water and a pot of coffee from the kitchen.

“Why does this feel like an intervention?” Kyungsoo said, attempting to keep his face from contorting into suspicion as he watched everyone eating their snacks and glancing at him.

“You wish it was,” Baekhyun said, dramatically shaking his head as he stood and put his hands on his hips to address them all. “So here’s the deal. This is a trap.”

“What is a trap?” Kyungsoo asked, having taken a seat next to Jongin on the couch.

“All of this,” Baekhyun said, extending his arms out as if to indicate everything. “There are tons of ghost hunters in Seoul alone. Don’t you think it’s a little weird this guy called you when you’re an ocean away?”

“He said he had heard about my reputation,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “And I’ve been called here for jobs before.”

“Second of all,” Baekhyun said, ignoring his sound logic, “who hides diamonds in a bandaji chest in a hotel in Miami?”

“Who takes apart a bandaji chest in a hotel in the first place, you crazy person?” Jongdae said with a laugh.

“I was following my own lead, thank you very much,” Baekhyun stated. “And my lead led me to that hotel and that chest, which leads me to third of all. Third of all,” Baekhyun rolled on, “why did I start seeing crazy spirits after I took some of those diamonds, forcing me to put them back where they belonged so they would leave me alone?”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, paying more attention. “What did they say to you?”

“Put them back,” Baekhyun said. “But more importantly, they also kept whispering a word over and over to me.”

“Samjogo?” Kyungsoo said.

“Close,” Baekhyun pointed at him. “Sun.”

“Sun?” Kyungsoo, Jongin, and Jongdae all asked at the same time.

“Sun!” Baekhyun said. “So I started doing research into the hotel, and it turns out that it’s owned by Hilton. Buuuuut, that’s only because Hilton bought it out in some huge international deal from a conglomerate called the Hae Corporation, or Hae Corp for short.”

“Sun!” Jongdae said enthusiastically. “_Hae_ is ‘sun’ in Korean!”

“Ding ding ding!” Baekhyun said pointing at Jongdae as if he had won some game show, and then he continued.

Kyungsoo felt his pulse race a bit, and he said, “So, you’re telling me that the hotel you were staying at in Miami used to be owned by the guy who owns the Samjogo Hotel?”

“That’s conveniently coincidental,” Jongin pointed out.

“Well, like I said, I was following my own lead. I mean, just because Kyungsoo won’t let me work with him anymore,” Baekhyun said, narrowing his eyes in bitterness that Kyungsoo assumed was playful, “doesn’t mean I’m not going to help. I had a good lead that maybe the item missing from the will may have made its way to this hotel in Miami. I thought the bandaji chest might be it, but then Jongin called and let me know you guys found out it might be a jewelry box instead.”

“Okay, so Hae Corp owned your Miami hotel and now owns the Samjogo hotel. How does that make this a trap?” Kyungsoo asked, needing Baekhyun to get to the point.

“Patience,” Baekhyun told him, putting a finger up, and then he continued, “After Jongin told me about the box that Mr. Park has and how you think your missing item is its twin, I started doing some research on those boxes. Turns out those boxes have been passed down through powerful families for generations. They’re believed to hold spirits that help whoever possesses it to gain power and wealth. Sounds like exactly the kind of thing that Mr. Hae, his name isn’t Mr. Hae, but I like calling him that, but yeah, the kind of thing that he probably wouldn’t mind having, right?”

Kyungsoo felt his stomach flip a few times as his heart sped up its pace. Memories rushed back, and his stomach sunk further as he remembered the nights his father wouldn’t come home from his office, the arguments his parents would have, the parties they hosted, the powerful people that would fly in from Korea to attend them, and the deals he’d accidentally overhear both of his parents making with people that seemed to not deserve good things to happen to them.

Kyungsoo had many great and fantastical memories of growing up privileged, but he had learned early on that it all came at a price, and it was part of the reason he had withdrawn so much and lost himself in his hobby, needing the escape from the things in his life that were too real. And then his hobby had become too real.

He tried to shake his thoughts, and he looked at all of his friends who stared at him.

“So you’re thinking that Mr. Hae probably ran in the same circle as my parents,” Kyungsoo conceded. “And he probably knew my parents had it in the first place and had been waiting for the perfect time to steal it.”

“It’s a theory,” Baekhyun said.

“At the hotel,” Kyungsoo said, thinking this through, “he told me that he knew where the item that’s missing was. So he knows where it is. And then he tried to send me to my death. So is he trying to get rid of me so I don’t find it and take it back from him?”

“Not a bad theory,” Irene said. “Except Mr. Hae… Damn it, now I’m calling him Mr. Hae.”

“Because it’s fun, right?” Baekhyun said. “Like, hey, Mr. Hae!”

“This is why she doesn’t date mediums,” Jongdae told him with a laugh, and Baekhyun pouted then laughed along.

“Anyway,” Irene said, looking done with the two of them, “if Mr. Hae wanted you dead, I feel he could have done that while he had you alone in that office. He had two security guards that could have done the job, right?”

“Right,” Baekhyun said. “So we’re missing something here. We’ll have to do more research, but in the meantime, stay away from the trap.”

“Actually, I think the takeaway from this,” Jongin said carefully, looking at Kyungsoo with a small plea in his eyes, “is that you need to give up the search, go home, and let it go.”

That was one hundred percent the takeaway. There was no arguing it and no denying the obvious. This was crazy, and it wasn’t his problem. So it rightfully belonged to him. Who cared? People had things stolen from them all the time. It’s not like he needed it. The rest of his inheritance had been more than enough to get him through the rest of his life.

And yet, as he looked around at the faces staring at him once again, he decided to ask a question that everyone in that room already knew the answer to.

“So then why did you guys fly out?” Kyungsoo looked at Yixing, and Irene, and then Baekhyun. “You could have told me this on a conference call. Why did you fly all this way?”

“Because we know you’re not going to let this go,” Baekhyun said, his lips turned down as he looked at him with a small bit of worry. “And we’re not going to let you do it alone.”

He couldn’t let it go. And he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch, hearing his mother’s bright and always wise voice one night as she sat on his bed when he was a child and ran her fingers through his hair.

“What story do you want to hear tonight?” She had asked him, and he always had a hard time picking, his mother having a way with words and an incredible imagination.

“The one with the dragon,” he had said, all tucked in and holding his blanket with his small fists.

“There are so many with dragons,” she had said with a soft laugh. “What if I told you one with a ghost instead?”

“A ghost?” Kyungsoo had asked, looking at his mom with big eyes that were not sleepy at all.

“Would that be too scary for you? I’m not sure you’re old enough,” she had teased.

“I’m old enough,” he had assured her, and she had chuckled and given him a soft kiss on his forehead before telling the story.

“Once upon a time, there was a ghost, a beautiful ghost, oh, but I bet you didn’t think ghosts could be beautiful? This was a beautiful ghost, and she waited every night by the window of her room for her true love. The moon would speak to her and tell her that he would soon come, and he would tell her that from the moon’s high-up view, it could tell that her true love was arriving closer and closer.”

“This is boring,” Kyungsoo had said. He had wanted dragons and warriors fighting them, not a beautiful ghost waiting for her true love.

“Is it? What did you expect when I said it was a story about a ghost?”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo had said, “something scary.”

“Oh, my love, but it is scary,” his mother had said with a sad smile, “for the reason she was a ghost in the first place was because she had been killed by her mother for not going to bed when she was supposed to.”

Kyungsoo had looked at his mother horrified, and she had laughed a warm laugh and tickled his belly.

“Was that too scary for you?” She had asked him.

“No, that wasn’t true. Right?”

“It could have been,” she had said, looking down at him, her smile slowly fading. “Ghost stories are stories about people. Their stories are as rich as their lives. To find out the truth about why a ghost is still with us, you have to dig deep into their history.”

He had been interested in ghosts ever since, growing up watching ghost movies and reading books about ghosts, and not realizing that he felt so connected to it for a reason.

And now he knew.

His parents had owned a box, one that he hadn’t known existed until two days ago, but he had lived with it, never knowing that somewhere within his reach was a tool of power that held a spirit inside.

But his parents must have known. Why else would they have insisted it be included in the will after it disappeared?

“Soo?”

He heard Jongin’s voice, and Kyungsoo opened his eyes and sat back up, looking again at his friends who still watched him.

“My aunt told me that the only box she remembers in the family is the one that my grandmother gave to my mother on her wedding day. I don’t know if it it’s the box that’s missing. I don’t even have confirmation that it’s a box that’s missing in the first place. It’s just a lead. But,” Kyungsoo needed to make sure and say the correct words, especially if these people were serious about helping him. He owed them honesty and the best explanation possible. “If it really has a spirit inside, and if a person that possesses it will become powerful because of it, then I want to find it, and then I want to destroy it.”

“I’m always here for a good humanitarian cause,” Irene said, putting her hand up as if in prayer.

“It is a noble reason,” Yixing agreed with a smile.

“Sounds fun?” Baekhyun said, looking at him unsure and with a little smile.

“Sounds dangerous,” Jongdae said, but even he looked resigned.

“No one said you had to be a hero,” Jongin said to him, looking into his eyes, no doubt trying to use some god-like trance power to get him to change his mind.

“I’m not trying to be,” Kyungsoo said, averting his gaze. “But this box belongs to my family. So it’s my responsibility, and if people are going to get hurt or die because of it, or if people are going to profit off it just so they can be bullies and do illegal things, then it’s my responsibility to get rid of it.”

A moment of silence passed and then Jongin asked, “So what’s the plan?”

Kyungsoo leaned his head back against the sofa again and sighed. They were going to need a plan.

***

The evening had grown chilly, and Kyungsoo zipped up his olive green jacket, wishing he had thought to layer. He checked the map on his phone again and turned the corner, a neon green sign indicating the drugstore he was looking for. A tall figure of a man in a navy blue hoodie stood in front of the door, as directed by Kyungsoo.

“Hey,” Chanyeol said lighting up at the sight of Kyungsoo as he approached. The smile and excitement seemed genuine, which Kyungsoo felt endearing.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said back. “I always like to get here before the owner to get a read on the place,” he explained, getting straight down to business to avoid more confusing thoughts.

He took in again the man’s height and gentle boyishness, which seemed a weird contrast, but Kyungsoo tried not to be obvious about looking at hi. He walked passed him and around the corner to figure out the layout of the building that housed the drugstore.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Chanyeol said, following him. “This is so exciting. It’s like we’re detectives.”

“That’s exactly what ghost hunting is,” Kyungsoo explained, noticing a window below for a basement. No doubt, that’s where they’d be led.

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense,” the tall man said again, and he followed Kyungsoo, who walked back toward the front and then to the other side. “So what have you figured out so far?”

“Basement,” Kyungsoo pointed, and then he pointed to the pipes leading into it, “Plumbing.” He then pointed to the electric poles running lines to the building, “Spirits are attracted to other forms of energy, and they’ve got a direct line.”

“Whoa, this is cool,” Chanyeol said, but he said it softer, as if to himself, and Kyungsoo felt confused again.

He walked back to the front and a car pulled up, a woman rushing out with dangling keys, greeting them in Korean as she hurried to the front.

They both bowed their heads to her, and Kyungsoo introduced himself and then Chanyeol as his associate. They followed her inside the rather small and crowded drugstore, and Kyungsoo asked her to explain what exactly she had been experiencing.

“I thought it was rats,” she said, pointing to the vents. “It only happens at night, these strange sounds. But I had the exterminator come and they said they didn’t find evidence of rats, but they exterminated anyway. It put me out of business for five days. Five days,” she accentuated by putting her hand up. “And the noise still came.”

She then pointed to a door, and Kyungsoo asked, “Does that lead to the basement?”

The woman looked surprised, but confirmed his suspicion. “Yes. It’s where we keep our stock and supplies. When I went in there three nights ago, it was late, like now, and I heard the sound louder. Then I heard a knock, so I went upstairs, but this door locked on me. I hadn’t even closed it. It locked, and I banged to try and open it. Then I heard more loud noises, and I called my husband to come open the door and told him that something was happening. By the time he arrived, the noise had calmed down, and the basement door opened. He didn’t open it. It just opened by itself. I came out to see him at the front staring around because so many of our items had been knocked to the ground. He asked me if there had been an earthquake. I told him we had a ghost.”

“It does sound like ghost behavior,” Kyungsoo nodded. “Do you mind if we check out your basement?”

“No, I do not mind,” she said, showing him to the door and unlocking it. “I should accompany you. We don’t let people in the stock room unattended. But I think, to be safe, I’ll stay out here in case the door locks.”

“We won’t be long,” Kyungsoo assured her.

They walked down the narrow wooden steps, and Kyungsoo took his flashlight out of his backpack to try and get a better look since the lighting in the basement was much dimmer than that of the store.

“Oh, I should bring a flashlight next time,” Chanyeol said. “So how do we find the ghost?”

“If it is a ghost,” Kyungsoo said. “People’s stories aren’t proof. Here, hold the flashlight,” he instructed him, handing it to Chanyeol, who took it immediately and held onto it with both hands as if given a very important task.

Kyungsoo found that rather adorable, and he cleared his throat and opened his backpack to pull out his tools, setting up his meters, cameras, and recorders around the basement.

“Do you sense anything?” Chanyeol asked him.

Kyungsoo reclaimed the flashlight to look under a workbench that had boxes stacked on top and below it.

“Not really, but that doesn’t mean anything. Sensing spirits isn’t my gift. I usually have to be open to the possibility and allow myself to pick up on physical signals to tell.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said. “Can any of your friends with talents sense them?”

“My friend Baekhyun can. He’s a medium, and spirits are attracted to him, so he usually knows right away if there’s a spirit around.”

Kyungsoo had a theory that part of what compelled Baekhyun to take apart that bandaji chest in the first place was that he was drawn to it because of the spirits inside, just as he had probably been directed by spirits to check out that hotel in the first place.

“That’s so cool,” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo stood up and spotted a vent near the floor, inspecting it next and pushing aside a stack of small unopened boxes that had been blocking a large portion of it.

“It’s not cool,” he told the curious tall man, who now joined him in his crouching as he watched him look at the vent. “Some spirits are nice, but not all, and when a bad spirit gets inside you, it could kill you.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, losing his smile, “this all seems so fantastical that I forget it’s dangerous.”

“Rule number one of ghost hunting,” Kyungsoo said, standing up again, “Never forget that it’s dangerous.”

Kyungsoo walked over to the exposed plumbing and knocked on the pipes, listening for echoes and anomalies. He placed another recorder by it and then zipped up his backpack and motioned for the steps.

“Ready?” Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol.

“Wait, that’s it?”

“I told you it wasn’t that exciting,” Kyungsoo reminded him, jogging up the steps as the woman waited at the door expectantly.

“Did you find it?”

“Nothing’s down there at the moment,” he explained.

Chanyeol almost bumped into him as he came out of the basement.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol said, bashful and clearing his throat as he stepped to the side.

“I set up my equipment and will monitor it tonight,” Kyungsoo informed the woman. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to place a camera in the store as well.”

“Yes, do what you need to,” she said as she locked the door to the basement.

Kyungsoo set the camera up near where the cash register sat and then asked the woman what time she opened. He explained that he’d be by to pick up all the equipment before she opened for business and to go over the results, and then he and Chanyeol wished her a good evening.

“So now what?” Chanyeol asked as he walked beside Kyungsoo, who headed back the way he came and toward the subway station.

“Now comes the most boring part,” Kyungsoo said. “We pick up food and head to my place to stare at the monitors all night in hopes that a spirit pops up.”

“That doesn’t sound boring at all,” Chanyeol said with another shy smile, and Kyungsoo felt too off balance to process it.

***

Chanyeol was laying it on thick. That had to be the only explanation for his comments as Chanyeol took in Kyungsoo’s tiny space in Hongdae.

“This is so cool,” Chanyeol said, his eyes darting around as he held the plastic bag of stews they had picked up on the way home.

“This is not cool,” Kyungsoo said, turning on the final monitor and making sure the volume was up on everything in case they caught any sound. “We can sit on my bed or on the floor.”

“It is cool,” Chanyeol insisted, sitting on the floor with his long legs tucked under the other. He opened the bag and pulled out the containers. “It reminds me of college.”

“Well, it is Hongdae…” Kyungsoo commented, grabbing them some beer from the fridge and sitting in front of him. He accepted the spoon Chanyeol handed him with a thank you.

“But it’s even cooler because of all the monitors and gear,” Chanyeol continued. “I love this.”

“Is this what your place is like then?” Kyungsoo asked, knowing that it was finally time for him to start the first part of the plan that he and his friends came up with: _Find out what Chanyeol knows._

The more Kyungsoo had thought about what Baekhyun had told them, the more one thing in particular didn’t make sense. If Mr. Hae was the one that was behind this whole missing box thing, then why was it Mr. Park that had reached out to Kyungsoo in the first place instead of Mr. Hae? And also, why had the ghost, who had directed Kyungsoo to Mr. Hae’s hotel to begin with, been hanging out in Mr. Park’s building instead? All Kyungsoo could theorize was that since the boxes were twins, Mr. Park and Mr. Hae were linked through them in some way, and their best lead in figuring out how was Mr. Park’s son.

“My place?” Chanyeol asked, looking a bit confused as he tested the temperature of his stew and then dug in. The cool air of the night had probably brought the temperature of the food down enough to eat. “Well, no. Not really.”

“Where do you live?” Kyungsoo asked, taking in the expressive way that Chanyeol ate his soup, as if each spoonful was worthy of a reaction.

“Nowhere really,” Chanyeol shrugged. “I’m used to moving around a lot, so I just go from place to place, trying to figure my life out. I guess I’m currently living in Tokyo.”

“Oh, Tokyo,” Kyungsoo nodded. “I love Tokyo. I don’t get to go much, but when I do, I enjoy it.”

“I love it too,” Chanyeol said, brightening at Kyungsoo’s enthusiasm, or maybe approval. “I’ve been renting a place there and spending all my time in Akihabara living in the arcades.”

“Right, Jongin had mentioned you liked video games.”

“I love them,” Chanyeol said with a big smile, the kind of smile that only came from nerds when their beloved interest was mentioned. Kyungsoo knew this smile well from his own face.

“So, is that what you do for a living?” Kyungsoo asked, finally savoring his stew and grateful for the warmth it spread through him.

“I don’t do anything for a living,” Chanyeol said, losing his enthusiasm. “I haven’t figured out what to do exactly. You’re lucky that you’ve found your calling.”

“How old are you?” Kyungsoo tried to get a read on Chanyeol’s body language, but it all seemed to contrast with each other. He was so big, yet looked so small sitting there on the floor with him and eating his stew.

“26,” Chanyeol said, looking up at him with inquisitive eyes. “What about you?”

“Same,” Kyungsoo confirmed. “So, you didn’t go to college and major in anything?”

“I went to college three times and majored in three different things that I wasn’t interested in,” Chanyeol looked down, and he stirred his stew. “I was a business major for my undergrad, and then I got a masters in finance, and another masters in international business.”

“Sounds thrilling,” Kyungsoo said, hoping he lifted the mood a little.

“It’s what my dad wanted,” Chanyeol shrugged, and he ate more of his soup. “What about you? Is ghost hunting a major in college?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Kyungsoo reached into the second bag to pull out the white rice and place it between them. “I majored in business too because I was supposed to help out with the family business when I was older.”

“Same,” Chanyeol said, watching Kyungsoo as he pulled out the container of kimchi as well. “So, is that what you’re going to do someday? Run your family business?”

“No,” Kyungsoo stated. “I mean, I don’t. My parents…well, they’re gone. They left it in good hands, so I don’t really need to take it over. The guy running it was a good friend of theirs, and he’s got everything under control.”

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol asked. “How would you know if you never check up on him?”

“My parents trusted him, so I trust him,” Kyungsoo stated, trying the kimchi. “I don’t care enough to not trust him. I suppose if things start going badly with the company, I can look into it more, but I really hope I never have to.” Kyungsoo could tell he was rambling, the conversation getting too personal, so he pushed the focus back on Chanyeol. “So, why are you here instead of Tokyo where you’d rather be?”

“Family business stuff,” Chanyeol said, shifting his legs a little, but keeping them in the same relative position. “My dad wanted me to come home to help out with some business things. I never understand any of it.”

Kyungsoo studied him and his body language and tried to read between the lines. He wondered if those business things were related to the box, or if they were just boring financial things for the company. Unfortunately, he couldn’t flat out ask him what his father’s instructions had been without giving himself away, so Kyungsoo tried a different angle.

“If he knows you don’t like it, then why does he still make you do it?” Kyungsoo watched as Chanyeol tensed up a little, taking his time in replying as he focused on his stew.

“When my dad wants me to help him with business stuff,” Chanyeol said, “it’s the only time he pays attention to me. It’s dumb.” Chanyeol shook his head and put his soup down, running his hand through his hair and looking back up at Kyungsoo. “I don’t want to bore you with my dad issues, so can we check in on the ghost instead?”

Kyungsoo had plenty of dad issues of his own and could probably relate, but he nodded instead and looked over at the monitors to see if anything interesting was happening.

“It’s pretty quiet still,” Kyungsoo said. “What you’re mainly looking for is a shadow or a light. One or the other. Or, some sort of energy distortion. Anything energy related.”

“Does it freak you out?” Chanyeol said, getting on his knees to look at the monitor better, leaning in closer. “When you see it?”

“Not anymore. When I first started, yeah. Well, not freak out, but it would make me excited. Once you’ve seen the stuff I’ve seen, it’s hard to get freaked out by things.”

Chanyeol sat back on his heels and looked at Kyungsoo, his eyes dropping down and then rising back up as if taking him all in. He then said, “You’re so courageous. I think it’s so cool.”

“I’m…not? Like, I’ve run out of haunted houses screaming many times. It just depends on the situation.”

Like when he was able to hear a ghost speak to him in Chanyeol’s father’s building, which was not normal, and very scary. But he didn’t say that.

“I get freaked out pretty easily,” Chanyeol then said.

Kyungsoo was suddenly reminded of Jongin’s assessment of how good looking Chanyeol was, as he couldn’t help but notice the handsome features of his face, from his almond-shaped eyes that were soft to his bottom lip that was the perfect kind of full for tugging on with his own.

“I…get that,” Kyungsoo said, and he realized he didn’t make sense. “I mean, it probably depends on the situation for you as well.”

Kyungsoo scratched the nape of his neck.

“Most situations freak me out,” Chanyeol said. “That’s why I’m a homebody. For the most part.”

“I am too,” Kyungsoo said, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a sudden movement.

He sprang up and leaned in to one of the monitors, noticing a portion of the screen that kept blurring and moving.

“That’s an energy distortion,” he pointed out to Chanyeol, who had joined him in staring at the monitor, their shoulders touching as Kyungsoo felt Chanyeol’s breath on his arm.

“So that’s a ghost? It just looks like something’s wrong with your screen.”

“The rest of the screen is fine. That’s how you know. Let’s see if we can pick up sound.”

Kyungsoo messed with the knob a bit on the speaker and listened carefully, but his neighbor was watching a loud K-drama that wasn’t helping matters.

They watched the distortion for a few minutes and then it disappeared. He looked at his other monitors from his other camera, but nothing seemed out of place.

“Hm,” Kyungsoo said to himself, watching for it to pop up again.

“What?” Chanyeol asked, and Kyungsoo didn’t have to turn his head to know that the man’s eyes were on him.

“I wonder what made it so angry two nights ago. It seems like a calm spirit, probably one that’s been there for a very long time.”

“Does it matter?” Chanyeol asked him. “Don’t spirits just get angry and haunt things?”

“No. Some live peacefully and cohabitate with the living just fine. There’s no need to get rid of a spirit that isn’t causing any harm.”

Kyungsoo expected Chanyeol to say something, and when he didn’t, he looked over at him, their faces close, but neither of them moving.

“There are so many rules,” Chanyeol said then. “How long did it take you to learn them all?”

“I’m still learning,” Kyungsoo said, his eyes dropping to take in Chanyeol’s lips again before he reminded himself that he was working. “Anyway,” he said, looking back at the monitor, “this might be a situation where something is upsetting the ghost and it just needs to be calmed down. I’ll let her know in the morning.”

Kyungsoo turned off the monitors and speakers.

“Wait, that’s it?” Chanyeol asked, taking a step back from him finally.

“Yeah, pretty much. I keep telling you this isn’t exciting. She’s got a spirit. Confirmed. What more did you expect?”

Kyungsoo started picking up the food from the floor.

“I don’t know. On TV and in movies, they go confront the ghost and everything is scary,” Chanyeol said, with large hand motions and wide eyes to accompany the horror he described.

“Well, if the lady wants it gone after what we tell her, I was going to tell Jongdae so that he could get rid of it. If you want, you can come see that. Still not exciting though. TV and movies have to entertain people. We don’t.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Chanyeol agreed, grabbing his nearly empty container of stew to help.

Kyungsoo put the leftovers in the fridge and poured himself a glass of water. He looked at Chanyeol who stood in the small space between the kitchen and the door.

“Do you want some water before you head home?” Kyungsoo offered.

“Uh…” Chanyeol played with his fingers and looked around then back at him, “I…do you mind if I stay the night? I think I’m too freaked out to leave.”

Kyungsoo didn’t want to laugh, but a small smirk did appear on his face.

“I thought this wasn’t scary enough for you.”

“It’s not. I mean…the thing moving on the screen was a little creepy. I keep thinking about it.”

The tall man did look a bit spooked, and Kyungsoo tried to mentally tell himself to stop finding him cute because of it, but Kyungsoo’s mind always got away from him when it came to being attracted to other people. He couldn’t help it. He remembered his therapist theorizing about Kyungsoo needing to feel connected with other people after the loss of his parents, and Kyungsoo had disappointed his therapist by letting him know he had been like this before he had lost them.

Kyungsoo focused back on his present situation and wished he could’ve avoided it somehow. Why did Mr. Park’s son have to be so attractive to Kyungsoo? It would have made things easier if he hadn’t been.

“Sorry, I was just thinking through sleeping arrangements,” Kyungsoo said, realizing he was taking too long to reply. “I don’t have a lot of space.”

“It’s okay. I can sleep on the floor,” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo was pretty sure if he let this man sleep on his floor, his mother would swoop down from the afterlife and smack him for being a terrible host.

“No, it’s fine. We can share the bed. If you don’t mind.”

“I won’t take up a lot of space,” Chanyeol said, as if not aware of his height and general broadness in comparison to Kyungsoo’s short stature and small frame.

Kyungsoo got him a glass of water to drink while he took some shirts off his bed that Jongdae must have left on there as he went through to pack up Kyungsoo’s bag for their night at Jongin’s. And then Kyungsoo thought about how nice it would have been for it to have been Jongdae spending the night instead. But his current situation involved a giant, and he disappeared into his bathroom to change into shorts and a T-shirt, normally having preferred to sleep just in his boxers instead.

“I don’t have anything to change into,” Chanyeol said, looking a little sheepish.

“I don’t have clothes that would fit you,” Kyungsoo said with an apologetic tone.

“I wasn’t well prepared for a night of ghost hunting,” Chanyeol said with an awkward little chuckle. “I didn’t have a flashlight or a change of clothes.”

“Next time,” Kyungsoo said, meaning it to sound like teasing, but not sure how it came out. “It might make more sense if you sleep closer to the wall, since you’re scared and all.”

“Don’t make fun of me,” Chanyeol whined, but then he laughed and got into the bed, scooting over as far as he could against the wall.

Kyungsoo did give him a soft smile for the whine and then turned off the light, getting into bed and instantly feeling the warmth of the other man beside him.

The bed was certainly too small for the two of them to sleep side by side, so Kyungsoo rolled onto his side, facing away from him and scooting just enough away that he could feel the edge of the bed against his knees.

He tried to think of what information he’d be able to relay back to the team, but all he had really learned was that Chanyeol was in town working for his dad. And again, Kyungsoo thought about how almost naïve and innocent Chanyeol came off when talking about ghost hunting and everything that came with it.

As he drifted off to sleep, nothing he had learned that day made sense.

***

Kyungsoo felt warmth on his abdomen, just above his belly button, and when he blinked open his eyes to take a look, he found Chanyeol’s rather large hand resting on it. Kyungsoo turned his head to find the giant man sleeping on his side, facing him, and looking too peaceful to wake up. So he lay for a few moments more, not minding the warmth, nor how nice his large hand felt on him, used to Jongdae’s small hands instead.

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, thinking that he was going to need to figure out what exactly his relationship with Jongdae was at the moment. It felt like they were back together, but there was this unspoken tension between them, something keeping them from moving forward as if they had never been apart.

Kyungsoo realized he had to sneeze, and he tried to do so quietly so he didn’t wake Chanyeol, but ended up having to bring his hand up and knocking it into Chanyeol’s arm in the process.

“Hm,” Chanyeol said, looking in his direction confused and blinking his eyes open.

“Sorry, I had to sneeze,” Kyungsoo said, and then he realized this was the best time to make his exit from the bed, so he sat up and out of Chanyeol’s grasp.

“What time is it?” Chanyeol asked, scratching his head and seeming to be oblivious to the fact that he very much had been sleeping with his hand on Kyungsoo’s body.

“It’s six in the morning,” Kyungsoo said, looking at the time and seeing the text from his client that she was already at the store. “And I have to get going.”

“What?” Chanyeol said, sitting up and stretching an arm up in the air as he yawned. “To the ghost drugstore place? I’m coming with you.”

“You don’t have to come along,” Kyungsoo explained to him, knowing he didn’t have time for a shower. He crouched down to sift through his suitcase for a change of clothes. “I’ll let you know if Jongdae’s going to get rid of it and at what time so you can come to that instead.”

“But I want to,” Chanyeol said, scooting over on the bed and sitting at the edge to look at him. “I mean, if that’s okay.”

Kyungsoo grabbed his clothes and stood up, then looked at Chanyeol, who sat looking at him with expectant eyes.

“It’s not really anything?” Kyungsoo tried to explain. “It’ll take like five minutes and then I’m heading to Jongin’s to hang out with my friends.”

Chanyeol bit his lip and rubbed his hands together, then hesitated a moment. He finally said, “Do you mind if I hang out with you guys?”

Kyungsoo wondered why Chanyeol wanted to stay by his side. It was daytime now, and surely the spookiness of the ghost on the screen had to have worn off by now. Chanyeol’s insistence on staying with him and wanting to be with his friends was certainly raising some red flags for Kyungsoo, but then those red flags dissipated as Kyungsoo thought about how obvious Chanyeol was being about it.

“Why do you want to hang out with us?” Kyungsoo asked, watching his reaction carefully.

“Well…” Chanyeol said, looking a little nervous, “I don’t really have any friends, and I like hanging out with you, so…I’d like to. But I mean, I understand if you don’t want me to.”

This was so weird. Kyungsoo had to take a moment to try and figure out if he was lying or not.

“You don’t have any friends?”

“I didn’t really grow up here,” Chanyeol reminded him.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo played along, “but you must have been home for the summers, right? You didn’t have any childhood neighborhood friends?”

“I was sent away to camps a lot,” Chanyeol said, his voice softening a little, and then he shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I bothered you. I’ll just go home and play video games until you call about tonight. I mean, if you call about tonight.”

Kyungsoo watched him stand up and look around for his shoes, finding them and sitting back on the bed to put them on. It was official. Park Chanyeol was the most confusing being Kyungsoo had ever met. And that said a lot considering he knew a handful of angels, demons, and reapers.

“It’s totally okay,” Kyungsoo said. “Let me just go wash up a little and change, and then we can head out to the drugstore.”

“Really?” Chanyeol asked. He seemed so excited, which made Kyungsoo feel he had completed his good deed for the day.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo told him with a soft smile, and then he went to his bathroom, closed the door, and took a deep breath.

He looked in the mirror and mentally asked himself, “What the fuck are you doing?” And then he realized he was mentally talking to his mirror image and shook his head, focusing on getting ready instead.

***

Kyungsoo had tried to warn his friends that Chanyeol would be coming over with him, but it appeared that they hadn’t believed him because they all looked a bit surprised when he walked into Jongin’s apartment with him.

“Hey,” Jongin greeted Chanyeol with a megawatt smile. “It’s so good to see you again. How did you like your first ghost hunting experience?”

“It was very interesting,” Chanyeol said with a genuine smile.

They sat around the living room and Jongin took the liberty to introduce Chanyeol to Baekhyun, Irene, and Yixing, who all seemed intrigued by Chanyeol in completely different ways. Yet, none of them were as intrigued as Chanyeol was of Yixing.

“So, if you’re an angel,” Chanyeol asked him, “are you…wait…how does that work?”

“It’s best to not think too deeply about it,” Yixing told him with a serene smile.

“Angels are only a notch more tolerable than demons,” Irene let Chanyeol know.

“Hey, Yixing’s nice,” Baekhyun said, defending the angel’s honor, very much as Sehun had defended that of his demon’s.

“He’s only nice because he likes you,” Irene pointed out as she sat on the floor with Kyungsoo, looking through the footage from last night on his camera.

“Angels aren’t nice?” Chanyeol asked no one in particular.

“They’re all holier than thou,” Irene said, “Except Yixing, of course.” Irene then remarked to Kyungsoo, “This ghost is so tame. Is she sure she wants to get rid of it?”

“Yeah. It’ll be an easy one for Dae,” Kyungsoo confirmed.

“Let Dae have the night off,” Baekhyun said, and then he raised his hand in the air. “I can do it!”

“No,” Kyungsoo said,

“It’s an easy one, and Yixing will be with me,” Baekhyun whined.

He made two valid points, but still, Kyungsoo said, “No.”

Baekhyun made a frustrated sound, and then he said, “I’m here to help. Remember?”

“It’s an easy one,” Irene said to Kyungsoo. “Let him take it. You’ll be there. He has Yixing. You can even take Jongdae with you as backup just in case.”

Kyungsoo knew that Baekhyun missed working jobs with him, and he supposed this one was safe enough to let him do it under these circumstances. He just wished his friend would retire altogether, but he supposed when one had a gift, they felt compelled to use it.

“Fine,” Kyungsoo said.

Baekhyun got up and did a victory lap around the living room that made them all laugh, and then he gave Kyungsoo a big hug and smooch on the cheek before taking another victory lap.

***

Jongin had devised a clever way to get himself, Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun out of the house without Chanyeol tagging along. Since Irene was the techie genius of their group, Jongin had suggested that Irene show the very interested Chanyeol how to properly use all the gear since he’d be coming along with them that night. Chanyeol loved the idea, and Irene understood what Jongin was getting at and quickly went into action, taking out Kyungsoo’s tools from his backpack to begin her instruction. Yixing had opted to stay with them as well, seeming to take a fondness to Chanyeol’s curiosity.

Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Jongin walked to a nearby coffee shop and ordered large mugs of coffee and some pastries to accompany them. They took over a section of couches near the corner where they could speak privately while they waited for Jongdae to join them.

The exorcist arrived just a few moments later, ordering his coffee first, then sitting on the couch with his warm mug and facing Kyungsoo.

“Okay, what did you find out?” Jongin asked Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo had nestled into the corner of the couch, savoring his mocha latte as he tried to figure out how to answer that question.

“Nothing,” he deadpanned.

“Okay,” Jongin said, nodding slowly. “We’re going to need more than nothing.”

“He’s so weird,” Kyungsoo said. “And I can’t figure out what his angle is. I think he’s really interested in ghost hunting and wants to tag along because he likes us.”

“That’s…different,” Jongdae said, his straight eyebrows angling downward as they did when he was thinking.

“I think he’s lonely,” Kyungsoo continued, thinking of their conversations. “He claims he doesn’t have friends here. And his dad only pays attention to him when he needs him for something. He only flew in because his dad asked him to. He was living in Tokyo spending all his day in arcades. He doesn’t have a job.”

“This explains why he’s so awkward,” Jongin thought out loud.

“That’s really sad,” Baekhyun said. “Let’s be his friends.”

“I don’t think that’s part of the plan,” Jongdae pointed out.

“It could be part of the plan…” Jongin said. Kyungsoo could envision the wheels turning in his best friend’s head. “I don’t think it’s coincidental that Chanyeol mentioned he was playing a ghost hunting video game. It’s been bothering me since that day, and now that you’ve told us he’s in town at his dad’s request, I’m willing to bet that Mr. Park has his son in on this. He might be using Chanyeol to get closer to us to see what we know about the other box.”

“That’s assuming Mr. Park wants to know about the other box,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “We still don’t know what his connection is to all this.”

“Right,” Jongin nodded, “Which is why, if we get Chanyeol closer to us, he may reveal even more things unknowingly. Like how he probably didn’t think mentioning he was in town to help his dad was useful to us.”

“Did he stay with you last night?” Baekhyun asked, blowing the top of his coffee, more to amuse himself than to cool it off. “I noticed he’s wearing what he wore yesterday.”

“Yeah, he said he was freaked out by the energy distortion on the monitor, so I let him stay,” Kyungsoo confirmed.

“Hm,” Jongdae said, looking at him, “Your place is small, and you have a twin bed. Did someone sleep on the floor?”

Kyungsoo leveled his gaze with Jongdae’s and wasn’t sure why he needed to make sure he said the right thing at the moment. He finished sipping his coffee.

“I thought about that, but then I thought it would be rude, so I let him share the bed. He actually takes up less space than you’d think,” Kyungsoo rambled and took another sip.

A tense silence passed and then Baekhyun pointed between them.

“Are you guys still together?”

“I’ve been wondering that myself,” Jongdae said, not looking too amused at the moment.

“We’re…” Kyungsoo began, wondering how this had turned into a conversation about this instead of Chanyeol. “It’s complicated at the moment.”

“How?” Baekhyun asked, not looking convinced.

“Okay, how about we get back to the plan?” Jongin said, motioning with his hands for people to focus. “So, let’s assume we’ve got a lonely guy who’s probably reporting things back to his father. Let’s keep him close and see where that gets us. In the meantime, Irene and Seulgi are going to do some recon at the Samjogo Hotel. Irene booked a room there for the two of them and they’re going to stay a few nights while checking things out.”

“That’s the excuse she gave to get out of staying with us,” Baekhyun said with a laugh.

“Or maybe she was being nice and letting you and Yixing have some privacy in the guest room,” Jongin said with a knowing smirk.

“This is why Irene is my fave,” Baekhyun beamed.

“You can’t…” Jongdae began, and then he looked at Jongin instead and asked, “Why would you encourage this?”

“It makes Baekhyun happy,” Jongin said with a smile.

“But…I mean,” Jongdae looked back at Baekhyun, probably thinking it wouldn’t hurt to remind him of what he already knew. “You can’t actually be with him.”

“Just let me pretend, Jongdae,” Baekhyun whined.

Kyungsoo was grateful that the attention was now off him, but he did feel a little sad for his friend. It hadn’t been his fault he had fallen in love with an angel, nor was it his fault that angels had strict rules about that kind of thing and Yixing would never be able to reciprocate Baekhyun’s love. Although, part of Kyungsoo felt that Yixing did reciprocate in his own angel ways, like sticking around after he had completed the task he had appeared for in the first place.

“Yeah, let him pretend,” Jongin said with a small pout, and Jongdae resigned with a large sigh. “Either way, Irene’s doing recon. Meanwhile, I’ll be at a members-only club attempting to figure out more about both Mr. Park and Mr. Hae as I chat up their associates and friends.”

“You’re going to just walk up into a members-only club?” Jongdae asked him dubiously.

“Yes,” Jongin said, his perfectly white teeth on full display. “I’ll have you know that I will enjoy my time there as the male escort for one Mrs. Kim, no relation, recently widowed, and looking for a good time.”

“I don’t know if I should be proud of your creativity for getting into this exclusive event or throw up,” Kyungsoo said, making a face.

“A little bit of both, I think,” Jongdae agreed.

“Meanwhile,” Baekhyun said, “I’ll be with Kyungsoo getting rid of a harmless ghost.” He seemed so happy about it that Kyungsoo felt awful for having said “no” in the first place.

“And I’m tagging along in case it all goes wrong,” Jongdae nodded.

“Which it won’t,” Baekhyun said, pointing his finger in Jongdae’s direction.

“And you,” Jongin said, looking right at Kyungsoo, “keep trying to find out what you can from Chanyeol.”

“And maybe invest in a sleeping bag,” Jongdae said, not even looking at Kyungsoo as he took a sip of his coffee.

Kyungsoo blinked at him and then looked at Jongin and Baekhyun, who simply shrugged at him as they finished their drinks.

***

The air felt heavy and Kyungsoo looked up to see fast, gray clouds moving against the night sky. He hoped they finished this job before it started to rain.

“So many of you,” the drugstore owner said when she saw Kyungsoo arrive with his team in tow.

“This is Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo introduced. “He’s the medium that will be helping your ghost cross over, and this is Yixing, his associate. This is Jongdae, he’s an exorcist. Just in case things don’t go well, but they will, it’s just an extra precaution.”

Kyungsoo felt a small nudge against his leg and looked down to see Tan rubbing her face against the fabric of his jeans. He then noticed Minseok walk up and stand beside Chanyeol, assessing the tall man with judgment.

“And this is Minseok. He’s…in training.”

Minseok raised his eyebrow at him, not looking amused.

“I see,” the woman said. “Let me open the store for you then.”

She hurried to open the front door, and Jongdae looked at Minseok with suspicion.

“We get you twice in a row?” Jongdae asked him, his fingers grasping the rosary around his neck.

“It seems to be some sort of punishment,” Minseok said, without a single hint of irony. “I’m here for the spirit’s soul.”

“You really need to start leading with that,” Jongdae said, letting go of his rosary.

“Hi, I’m Chanyeol,” Chanyeol said to the man, extending a hand, and Kyungsoo grabbed Chanyeol’s hand and pushed it back down.

“You don’t want to touch a reaper,” Kyungsoo told him, his voice low enough for the woman to not hear.

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, looking concerned and taking a step away from Minseok. He then looked down at the cat. “Can I touch the cat? I love cats.”

“You can touch the cat,” Kyungsoo assured him, the corner of his lips rising in amusement.

Chanyeol smiled back at him, and Kyungsoo realized he was still holding his hand, so he let go and cleared his throat, then noticed Jongdae giving him a suspicious look.

Kyungsoo took that as a sign that they needed to get inside and start working, so he led the way, taking the team down to the cold basement with its dim lighting and chalky smell.

“_Annyeong, noona_,” Baekhyun greeted the ghost, and he walked around the basement placing sage in strategic areas. “My Korean’s not good, so don’t make me talk too much please.”

“I never thought I’d hear those words from your mouth,” Jongdae said with a loud cackle.

“Thank God I was recording,” Kyungsoo agreed, holding his camera as he kept it trained on his medium.

“How does he know it’s a girl?” Chanyeol asked Kyungsoo.

“He sensed it,” Kyungsoo answered.

Baekhyun circled a certain spot, as if making sure it was the right place, then he sat down, legs crossed, and relaxed. He took out a white candle from his backpack, lit it, and set it before him. And then he closed his eyes and seemed to meditate, as he tried to connect with the spirit. It always amazed Kyungsoo how still Baekhyun could be when he did this, considering the man usually bounced with energy.

Yixing stood nearby, watching him closely, a small trace of worry in his eyes, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to think back to the last time Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had worked together.

It wasn’t supposed to have been a difficult job, and the fact that their guards were down could have been part of the reason things had gotten out of hand so quickly. Kyungsoo still remembered the window that shattered, the large gust of wind that rushed in, knocking both him and Baekhyun to the ground. And then the sound, this high shrill, as if the spirit was screaming and taunting them at the same time.

Kyungsoo had never seen anyone levitate in real life before, until that night when the spirit took over Baekhyun’s body and slowly lifted him off the ground as if preparing to toss him out the very window it had broken. Kyungsoo had yelled and grabbed Baekhyun’s arm, trying to pull him down, but the spirit’s strength was otherworldly and Kyungsoo ended up losing his grip.

It was at that moment that Yixing appeared, rushing in through the door. Kyungsoo had felt confused, not knowing who this person was or why he was suddenly there, but then he had watched as Yixing jumped up and grabbed Baekhyun’s arm, tugging him down to the ground, then straddling him as he put his hands on Baekhyun’s chest. Another large gust of wind had flown by Kyungsoo, and the room had gone still. And then…

Kyungsoo shook his head. He didn’t like to think of the event in the first place, much less what had happened after.

He was grateful that the current scene was the opposite of that one, Baekhyun sitting still, and now smiling. Kyungsoo took that as a good sign.

Mere moments later, the lights in the basement flickered slightly. Minseok made his way back up the stairs, Tan leading the way, and the air felt a little lighter in the basement.

Baekhyun blinked open his eyes and stared at the wall for a moment, then said, “She was so nice. She grew up in a house that used to be here before they built this building. She got sick one day and died, but no one thought to tell her. She’s crossed over and at peace now.”

“You did well,” Yixing said, crouching down to hold Baekhyun in a tight hug that made Baekhyun giggle.

“Nice job,” Jongdae said, patting the medium’s head.

“Now that you got that out of your system,” Kyungsoo said, turning off his camera and reviewing the footage, “don’t feel compelled to do it again.”

“Shut up, dad,” Baekhyun said, standing up with the help of Yixing’s outstretched hand.

Kyungsoo was the first one back upstairs, letting the owner know that her ghost was now gone and she shouldn’t have any more trouble with the noises coming from the basement.

“My theory was the boxes covering the vent,” Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun, who nodded at him in affirmation. Kyungsoo then asked the owner, “Were those always there, or did the disturbances start once you moved them there?”

“We had an overstock of supplies,” the owner said, raising her fingers to her chin as she thought. “Yes, you’re right, it started after we rearranged things to fit them. I found space for them under the table, but I made sure to not cover the vent completely.”

“Ah,” Baekhyun nodded. “You covered it enough to confuse the spirit. She had to find another way to get to the spot she liked best, and she was very upset that she couldn’t get to it the way she normally did.”

“Really?” The woman looked at the medium and then back at Kyungsoo amazed. “I had no idea such a thing could occur.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about it anymore,” Kyungsoo told her.

She bowed to them several times in gratitude, and Kyungsoo thanked her as well for hiring him. He checked the time on his phone as she closed up the store again. He wondered if Jongin was back from his event and if he had found anything out.

“We should go celebrate,” Baekhyun said. “Let’s go to a _noraebang_.”

“So I can hear you and Jongdae out-yell each other?” Kyungsoo said with a snort. “I’ll pass.”

“That sounds fun,” Chanyeol said. “Can we go another night? I have to go home.” He looked so hopeful that Kyungsoo decided he could mentally prepare himself for a night of Baekhyun and Jongdae blowing out his ear drums.

“Yeah, let’s plan for it sometime this week,” Baekhyun said with a big smile.

“Bring earplugs,” Kyungsoo told Chanyeol, and Jongdae hit Kyungsoo’s arm.

After they exchanged good-byes with Chanyeol, Baekhyun snaked his arms around Yixing’s waist and cuddled into him explaining that he was cold.

“Let’s head home then as well,” Yixing said, rubbing Baekhyun’s back, a calm smile on his face.

Kyungsoo may have felt a little jealous at the affections the medium and the angel were showing each other. He looked at Jongdae.

“Wanna stay with me tonight?” Kyungsoo asked him.

Jongdae seemed as if he was attempting to analyze why Kyungsoo had asked him that.

“Are you asking because you want me to?” Jongdae asked.

“Obviously?” Kyungsoo asked back, not sure why he’d think any differently. It’s not like they hadn’t been spending the night together since he’d been in town. Except for last night, which was just weird.

“We’re gonna head to Jongin’s,” Baekhyun said, sensing that they may need to be alone.

They said goodbye to each other and Kyungsoo watched as Baekhyun and Yixing walked hand-in-hand, Baekhyun practically skipping as they headed toward the subway line.

His heart hurt a little at the simplicity of their love, however unrequited and ill-fated it may be, and he looked back at Jongdae, who watched him.

“What exactly are we doing?” Jongdae asked him. “And what exactly are you doing with Chanyeol?”

“What I was told to do as part of the plan?” Kyungsoo asked back.

“No,” Jongdae said, shaking his head slightly. “You like him. You find him endearing, and you probably think he’s hot.”

Kyungsoo frowned at Jongdae, “I mean, no. I mean, okay, yeah he’s hot, but look at him. I mean you think he’s hot, right?”

“Sure, but I don’t have a tendency to sleep with people just because they’re hot.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Kyungsoo said, all his defenses rising as he felt the skin on his face flush.

“Just tell me if we’re together or not,” Jongdae said with frustration. “Should I be jealous here? Do I pack my bags, and go home, and move on with my life?”

“I never officially broke up with you,” Kyungsoo said, feeling his own frustration seep into his voice. “I just…things got dark. I need all this to end before we can go back to normal.”

“What’s normal?” Jongdae asked, as if pleading for any clarity, and Kyungsoo tried to give it to him in the best way he could.

He leaned in and kissed him, grabbing him by the waist and trying to convey his emotion in his kiss. He didn’t want Jongdae to leave. He needed him there with him. He wanted everything to go back to the normal they shared where they would cuddle into each other when cold and walk hand-in-hand with smiles on their faces.

“Please stay with me tonight,” Kyungsoo pleaded again, touching his forehead to his.

Jongdae sighed, closing his eyes then opening them. He looked at him and said, “okay,” but he didn’t have a smile on his face, and there was no enthusiasm, and Kyungsoo felt sad for them.

But he held his hand anyway as they walked toward the subway.

***

It felt like old times, waking up in his own bed with Jongdae beside him and nothing that needed to be done that day to disturb them. The rain tapped against the window and Kyungsoo cuddled into Jongdae more, pretending for a moment that everything was perfect between them and no ghosts were haunting them.

But a perfect morning couldn’t last forever, and Kyungsoo’s phone rang, disturbing his peace and waking Jongdae.

“It’s…” Kyungsoo checked the time, “eight in the morning,” he said to Jongin, who had called.

“I’ve got a lead for you that might be connected to all this,” Jongin said.

“I’m listening,” he said, sitting up straight in the bed.

Kyungsoo took note of all the details Jongin gave him and then hung up, looking over to see Jongdae propped up on his side, rubbing his eye, then looking at him.

“Jongin found us a lead,” Kyungsoo told him. “I have to go meet up with this librarian.”

“A ghost hunting lead in the library,” Jongdae snorted. “How very Ghostbusters.”

“I’ll make sure and bring you back some green slime,” Kyungsoo joked, popping a kiss on his lips before getting up to shower and get ready.

The rain didn’t let up, nor did the chill that accompanied it as Kyungsoo exited the subway station for the library a few blocks away. As Jongin had explained, he had met the chief executive of the national library at the exclusive club last night and had been fascinated to learn that the exec was a close associate of Mr. Hae. Jongin challenged him to do shots with him in order to liquor him up and find out what he could. Jongin had discovered that Mr. Hae often visited the rare books department at the national library, and also that the department at said library happened to be filled with a number of haunted texts.

Kyungsoo arrived at the large multi-level building, more modern than he had expected, with walls of windows greeting him. He went to the welcome desk and informed the woman behind it that he had an appointment with the librarian from the rare books department.

Jongin had secured him an appointment through the exec, explaining that in order to access the library, he would have to register, but that he technically couldn’t since he wasn’t a resident nor had an alien registration card. So instead, Jongin had orchestrated a special visit, per the exec’s orders, and Jongin had supplied a fake name for him to use as well. Just in case.

The librarian, a rather posh-looking woman in probably her mid-40’s, walked to him in quick steps, her heels tapping a spritely rhythm against the floor. She stopped before him and bowed, greeting him, and instructing him to follow her.

He did so obediently, listening to her explain the history of their collection, and then she asked him, “What is it you’re looking for exactly?”

“I’m not sure yet,” he admitted. “I’m not even sure it exists.”

“We have very strict rules about what can be checked out. Of course, with your connections, we may be able to make some exceptions.”

“I assure you that I’ll follow all of your rules,” Kyungsoo told her with a small bow of the head, and then he asked, “When was this building built?”

“1988, but the library was established originally in 1945.”

“It’s beautiful,” he stated, but what he thought instead was that the building wasn’t old, and while that didn’t mean it couldn’t be haunted, he had a feeling that the library itself wasn’t.

Kyungsoo smiled as he walked into the room, the aesthetic quite different than the rest of the library. Special attention had been placed on the items in the room, and wooden tables were set up for people to better study these priceless texts.

“Most people make appointments for this room to study genealogy,” the librarian explained as Kyungsoo took in the older men at the tables, hunched and poring over large tomes.

“That makes sense,” he said, then he looked toward the shelves, not sure where to start.

The librarian let him know that she’d be at her desk if he needed anything, and he had hoped that meant she’d be a bit further away from the books and documents so that he could take pictures if he needed to. Unfortunately, her desk was nearby and he would have to be more stealth about his work.

He perused the selections, taking in how truly old some of the books were, and he studied a piece of parchment for a moment, wondering if he could make out the old calligraphy marks on them. Unfortunately, he hadn’t paid much attention to the old stuff that was taught at the Korean school his parents would make him go to during the summer. The thought sent a dull pain through his chest, and he thought that maybe he should have tried to be a better student for his parents. In that moment, he missed them in a palpable way, and he dropped his head to try and regain his emotions. He had to focus.

When the librarian left to run a quick errand, Kyungsoo took out a mini EMF meter, grateful that Irene had thought to tell Seulgi to provide him with one when she had replaced his gear for him. It’d be easier to hide from any wandering eyes, and Kyungsoo looked over to see that the old men studying their genealogy seemed to be too engrossed to notice what he did.

The readings came quick, and as he moved from shelf to shelf, they fluctuated between high and low, as if not just one spirit existed among the items, but many. He imagined staying in that room overnight would be akin to joining a spirt camping trip. The idea amused him, and he smiled, then focused again, not knowing how he was going to find what he was looking for if everything was a possibility.

Why did Mr. Hae visit here often? What was he looking for? If Mr. Hae was afforded special privileges, he could have just taken what he wanted, but he kept coming back for a reason.

The librarian returned and Kyungsoo put his meter away and looked through the titles, hoping something stood out. He grabbed some titles related to ancient artifacts and took them to the table, sitting just a few seats away from the old men and opening the first book, smiling at the shamanic masks on the page. He had always found them amusing. Except the scary ones, which he just found frightening. Baekhyun had once given him an entire lecture on shamanic masks, the medium a huge fan of them, even having some of his own that he kept in his personal collection, and Kyungsoo found looking at them endearing, knowing how excited they made his friend.

“What are you researching?” One of the old men asked him, and Kyungsoo now noticed that the group of men looked toward him, almost eager in anticipation of his answer.

“Artifacts,” Kyungsoo told them, flipping the page.

“What school do you attend?” One of the other men asked, and Kyungsoo wondered why they were being so nosy. But then again, these were people spending hours being curious about their genealogy. Nosiness must have been in their DNA.

“I graduated college already,” he told them.

“Oh,” they all said, as if surprised.

“You look so young. I assumed you were in high school.”

Kyungsoo must have looked offended because the men all laughed together, amused by his horror that he hadn’t even looked like he was in college.

“What is your work that requires research of artifacts?” The man closest to him scooted down toward him to look better at the book in front of Kyungsoo.

“I work for a collector,” Kyungsoo lied. It was one of his best covers for whenever he needed to not reveal his identity. When needed, Jongin always effortlessly played the part of the collector.

Kyungsoo turned the page and found a photograph of a brass box, and he felt excitement as he looked closer at it, but it wasn’t the same box.

“Oh, would the collector like that?” The man asked, taking the liberty of reaching over Kyungsoo’s arm to point to the box on the page. “Those are easy to collect, except for the rare ones, of course.”

Kyungsoo looked at the man with focused attention. “I’m interested in the rare ones,” he let him know.

The gentleman on the other side of the table scooted down as well, turning pages rapidly in the large book he had been studying, and then turning it around and pointing to a page.

“The rare ones were owned by the noble families, back when such things existed,” the man across from him explained. “As society changed and the noble families began to lose their power, the boxes exchanged many hands for hefty prices. Only the rich could afford them, but these were the original families that had them.”

Kyungsoo looked at the list of names on the page, and bit his lip, then looked at the two older gentleman and asked, “Do any of these families still exist?”

“Their descendants perhaps,” the man with the book said, “But many lost everything after the occupation, so it’s doubtful the boxes would still be in their possession.”

“So, if I wanted to find a rare box,” Kyungsoo thought out loud, “where would I find it?”

“With the richest or most powerful families,” the man beside him said. “Though I’m not sure your collector would be able to pay the price for one. The rarest are believed to bring power and fortune, so those that own one would not part with it.”

Kyungsoo was happy to receive confirmation of what he had learned, but he was also disappointed that he hadn’t been told anything new. Also, if Mr. Hae already had the box, then why would he need to come here? Unless he didn’t have it, and was bluffing, and came in here to try and figure out who might.

His eyes returned to the book the gentleman across from him had, and Kyungsoo pointed to the page and asked him, “Are there any of these families that survived the occupation intact and may still have some power or fortune?”

“The descendants of the last royal family are still alive, but they live a normal existence, though they do get invited to parties quite a bit,” the man answered with a grunt. “I would not consider them rich or powerful by today’s standards.”

“They get paraded around for nationalistic events,” the man beside him agreed with his own grunt.

Kyungsoo thanked the men for their insight, as well as the librarian for her help, then left feeling a bit deflated and confused. He exited and found that the rain had let up just enough so that a soft sprinkle fell instead.

He debated using his umbrella, but was saved from making a decision when a black luxury car pulled up and a man stepped out, leaving the door open and addressing him.

“Please get in.”

Kyungsoo knew he should run, but he was sure that this man would chase him, and the car would follow, and at some point he’d probably get caught, so he did as instructed, finding Mr. Hae in the backseat as he slid in beside him.

“We meet again. How are you?” Mr. Hae asked him as the bodyguard entered the car again, sitting in the seat that faced Kyungsoo as if he needed to be watched.

“Wondering what this is about,” Kyungsoo answered.

“It is I that needs to wonder,” Mr. Hae said as he motioned for the driver to start driving. “You still have not gotten rid of my ghost problem.”

“I didn’t feel like dying that day,” Kyungsoo let him know.

“And here I thought you were skilled at your job.”

“What do you want?” Kyungsoo asked him, needing to know if he had to start kicking his way out the door and rolling out.

“We had a deal.”

“I decided it wasn’t worth it.”

“Bullshit,” the man said, and Kyungsoo sensed that the man may have been losing his patience with him. “What were you looking for in the library?”

“Something new to read.”

Mr. Hae appeared to give some sort of signal to the bodyguard who reached over to Kyungsoo and held him in a choke hold so quick that Kyungsoo hadn’t even been able to react. And then he saw a knife before his very eyes and lowered to the general vicinity of his neck.

“I don’t think I was clear enough with you,” Mr. Hae then said, looking nonplussed once more. “Clear the site of the ghost. Do you understand?”

Kyungsoo understood, and he choked out a “yes” before getting dumped out onto the side of the road, his backpack thrown on top of him.

***

Jongin was upset, and no matter how much Kyungsoo tried to calm him down, he was still upset.

“I’m going to kill this Hae guy. How dare he?”

“It is best to not abuse your power, your gloriousness,” Yixing said to him, looking concerned.

Kyungsoo sat on the couch in Jongin’s apartment, drinking water, and trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do.

“How fucking dare he?” Jongin said, pacing with his hands on his hips.

“I mean,” Baekhyun said, “what are we talking about? Five poltergeists? Jongdae and I combined are probably good enough to maybe get rid of them.”

“No,” Kyungsoo said.

“We need to stick with our plan,” Jongin then said, facing them. “Irene’s still doing recon at the hotel. I’ll let her know about this incident and see if that helps her figure things out better. Meanwhile, we still need to know what Chanyeol knows.”

“I don’t think he knows anything,” Kyungsoo said, placing his empty glass back on the coffee table and leaning forward with his arms on his legs to look at everyone. “I think at this point, we need to flat out tell him what’s going on.”

“So that Mr. Park can kidnap you and hold you at knifepoint too?” Jongdae asked.

“No,” Kyungsoo said, and he tried to explain his thoughts, “But, Chanyeol is so earnest that I think when confronted with the truth, he might just cave and tell us things. Even if it’s not a lot.”

“I say do it,” Baekhyun said, “Knives are involved, we can’t take our time anymore.”

“I’ll trust your judgment on this,” Jongin nodded toward Kyungsoo.

“In the meantime,” Baekhyun said, standing up from the armchair with a dramatic push, “Dae, Xing, and I are going to check out the poltergeist site.”

“No,” Kyungsoo and Jongin said at the same time.

“Yeah, no,” Jongdae said, looking at Baekhyun as if he was crazy.

“You didn’t even hear me out,” Baekhyun said. “We’re not going to go on the site. We’re going to go assess the vibe of it from across the street. It sounds like we’re eventually going to have to end up there anyway, so we might as well stake it out and figure out the logistics.”

“I’ll make sure they do not stray onto the site,” Yixing said to Kyungsoo, as if knowing he needed the reassurance.

“Baek,” Jongdae said, his tone a little stern, “you’re not invincible. Just because Yixing saved your life, and hasn’t left your side, doesn’t make you an angel, or a god. You can seriously get hurt at this place.”

“I won’t go on the site, dad,” Baekhyun said waving him off. “But we do need to do recon.”

“Sehun can do more recon if necessary,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Sehun can’t sense things the way I do,” Baekhyun said back.

“He does have a point,” Jongin said with an apologetic tone.

“I’ll make sure they don’t get hurt,” Yixing said again, and Kyungsoo had no choice but to allow them to go, mostly because he thought that Baekhyun was going to go regardless of what he said.

Once it was just he and Jongin in the apartment alone again, Jongin sat beside him and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Rest for a bit,” Jongin told him.

“I can’t,” Kyungsoo admitted, even as he leaned into the soothing touch. “If lives are in danger, then there’s no time to rest. I need to meet up with Chanyeol.”

“Take a nap and then go,” Jongin told him, but Kyungsoo pulled his head away from his touch and looked at him.

“I need you to stop hanging out with these elite people,” Kyungsoo let him know. It had been one of the many thoughts he had considered on his bus ride to Jongin’s place. “They’re dangerous, and they’re all connected, and I don’t want you to put yourself in that position anymore.”

“You’re talking to a wall right now,” Jongin told him. “We’re all here to help.”

“But…”

“Just go meet up with Chanyeol,” Jongin said before he could continue. “Leave the non-Kyungsoo stuff to the rest of us, okay? We know what we’re doing.”

Sure his friends knew what they were doing, but did he? He had no idea what he was supposed to do about any of this anymore.

A nap would have probably done him some good, but he was too anxious to have fallen into one anyway, so he texted Chanyeol and asked him if he wanted to hang out instead.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyungsoo had decided to have Chanyeol come meet him in Hongdae, and he waited for him at the three-story arcade that he figured Chanyeol would either be familiar with already or really love at first sight.

It ended up being the former.

“I love this place,” Chanyeol said, his cheeks up high and his black hair a bit wavy and damp from the mist that had replaced the sprinkling.

“I thought you’d probably been here,” Kyungsoo said, feeling warm and allowing a big smile on his face. He wasn’t sure why that tended to happen whenever he saw Chanyeol.

But then he lost his smile as he realized that he probably wouldn’t be seeing Chanyeol after they had their conversation today. His strategy was simple enough, butter him up first by playing some games.

“This is one of my favorite games,” Chanyeol then said, stepping up to _Guitar Hero_, and Kyungsoo gave him a dubious look. “I always thought it would be cool to be a rock star,” Chanyeol explained, noticing the look.

Kyungsoo watched him, strapping on the guitar like a pro, selecting the expert level, and then jamming to the music as his fingers pressed buttons at lightning speed.

It was mesmerizing, and the bashful, awkward Chanyeol disappeared before Kyungsoo’s eyes and was replaced by this really hot faux guitar player, whose hair even flipped to the beat each time Chanyeol moved his head.

Kyungsoo gave it a try at Chanyeol’s insistence, and he chose a medium level of difficulty so that he didn’t completely embarrass himself. He managed to not fail, and Chanyeol clapped for him and told him they should start a band. They raced each other pretending to be Formula 1 drivers, and then had a shootout pretending to be specialized members of the military, and they even pretended to be falling off a building together when they tried the VR room.

After they were done pretending, they hit up a coffee shop on the same street to unwind and get some sustenance. They sat at a table for two, Kyungsoo watching Chanyeol sip his coffee while he stirred his, trying to figure out how to approach the subject.

“Chanyeol,” he finally said, feeling deep down inside that this was the right moment to address the issue and that the best way to address it was to be direct, “what does your father want you to find out from me?”

Chanyeol’s eyes went so big that Kyungsoo swore they might pop out, and the man across from him struggled to put his coffee cup back down in front of him as his hands shook.

“I know he has you hanging out with me because he wants to know something. What is it?” Kyungsoo said, remaining calm, hoping that it helped Chanyeol to remain calm too.

“How…” Chanyeol blinked at him and looked down, almost as if ashamed. “How did you know?”

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo said, reaching out to lift his chin up so he could look at him again. “Your dad’s not the only one trying to use me for something. But I need to know what it is he wants.”

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, his eyes earnest enough that Kyungsoo believed him. “He just told me to befriend you and observe you, then report it back to him. I told you. I never understand my father’s business requests. I just do them.”

“Hm,” Kyungsoo said, trying to think through this. “Have you ever overheard your father talking about a company called the Hae Corporation?”

Chanyeol looked surprised yet again, and he nodded, “He hates them. They were supposed to go into some partnership together on some new property, but then the Hae Corporation broke off the deal with my father’s company. Wait, is that what this is about? Do you work for the Hae Corporation?”

“No,” Kyungsoo said, “But I was kidnapped by them today so I was wondering if there was a connection.”

“You were kidnapped by them?” Chanyeol asked, his voice loud in shock, and Kyungsoo motioned with his hand for him to keep it down.

“I’m fine. Thanks for the concern,” Kyungsoo said to lighten the mood a little since Chanyeol looked close to having an anxiety attack. “They want something from me, your dad wants something from me, and I’m trying to figure out if it’s the same thing. Do you think maybe you can keep an ear out for any info that might help me out here so I can move on with my previously peaceful life?”

“Yeah, of course,” Chanyeol nodded, and then he seemed to consider Kyungsoo for a moment as he bit his bottom lip. “Does this mean… I mean, I really liked the ghost hunt last night and was hoping I could go again on your next one. Can I keep doing that? Not for my dad. I just… I really like them. And… I like hanging out…”

He got shy on him again, and Kyungsoo thought he understood. Chanyeol was lonely, and Kyungsoo and his friends were rather entertaining when they weren’t worried about dealing with poltergeists.

“Of course you can,” Kyungsoo told him with a smile. “Maybe we can find one tonight. I’ve gotten a couple of emails for potential jobs. You want to go through them with me and pick a good one out?”

Kyungsoo didn’t think a man that tall could move his chair and himself over to the other side of the table that quick, but Chanyeol did, and Kyungsoo chuckled as he pulled up the emails on his phone.

***

Chanyeol had seemed most excited by a hunt at a greenhouse that the owner swore had to be haunted.

“I’ve moved the plants around several times,” the owner said, taking them through the large plant haven, which was humid despite the fans spinning above them. “And they still die in this spot every time. It’s just this spot.”

Kyungsoo looked around, using his flashlight to check out the area behind pots filled with dirt and wilted plants.

“There is nothing to explain this,” the woman continued. “I used to grow things in this spot for years, and then all of a sudden, everything dies. I checked the windows. I checked to see if something was leaking. Nothing.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary either, although he knew very little about agriculture and wouldn’t necessarily know, but he trusted that this woman knew what she was talking about, so he used his meters to try and figure out if a weird energy source was around. He realized that Chanyeol was just watching him, so he handed him the infrared thermometer.

“Here, see if you read anything out of the ordinary with that.”

Chanyeol smiled and gave him a firm nod, as if assuring him he could handle the task. As Kyungsoo moved around with this EMF detector, he couldn’t help but to glance at Chanyeol, who bit his lip and looked very determined each time he pointed the laser to different items in the area of the dead plants. It was so cute, and Kyungsoo tried to get rid of the silly smile that had settled onto his face.

Neither of them got readings of anything out of the ordinary, and Kyungsoo looked up toward the glass panes of the ceiling, making sure one last time that there was nothing that looked like it might be affecting the plants from above.

“We’re not picking up on anything,” Kyungsoo explained to the woman. “I’ll set up some cameras and recorders, and monitor it overnight to see if anything happens.”

The woman thanked him.

Kyungsoo showed Chanyeol how to set up the cameras, having him set one up by himself as Kyungsoo set up another. They finished and headed out, Kyungsoo receiving a text message from Jongin to tell him to make his way back to his place for an update.

“Do you want to come back to Jongin’s with me?” Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol. “It seems like he has an update about this whole mess I seem to be in.”

Chanyeol gave Kyungsoo a glance, and for the first time, he noticed suspicion in the tall man’s eyes.

“You want me to? Even knowing that I might tell my father everything you guys talk about?”

Kyungsoo looked at him, and couldn’t help himself from reaching out to shift some of the strands of his damp hair to the side so he could see his face better.

“You’re so tall,” Kyungsoo said, and he pulled his hand down, clearing his throat and trying to remember what he had asked him. “Oh, uh, I don’t know. I just think you’re involved now, and it’s not like we don’t know your father isn’t up to something, and it’s not like he doesn’t know we’re up to something, so… I don’t know. I guess in a way, I’m hoping you can help.”

Chanyeol stared at him, not saying anything, in fact, he seemed to be a little frozen, but Kyungsoo waited him out.

“Okay,” Chanyeol finally said. “I mean, yeah, I’ll go. I’ll try and help.”

Kyungsoo gave him an appreciative smile and led the way back to the station so they could head to Jongin’s.

They managed to find two empty seats together on the train and sat side by side, a little squished as their legs pressed against each other.

“Jongin had warned me,” Chanyeol said, and then he paused, and started again. “I mean, when I was first getting to know Jongin, and he told me about you, he warned me that you didn’t take to people easily. And then when I first met you, you seemed a bit standoffish. But you’ve been really nice to me since then.”

“Well, once we started suspecting you might be working for your father, I wanted to stay in your good graces,” Kyungsoo admitted. “At least until I knew what you were up to exactly.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Is that the only reason Jongin was nice to me too?”

“He was purposely trying to get to know you,” Kyungsoo said, and he noticed how innocent Chanyeol looked as he watched him. “But…if it’s any consolation, he thought you were hot and wanted to sleep with you.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said again, and his cheeks turned a little pink. “That’s…nice, I guess.”

“I was actually surprised you hadn’t,” Kyungsoo admitted to him, liking whenever Chanyeol got a bit shy. “Very few people say ‘no’ to Jongin when he wants to hook up.”

“Have you hooked up with him?”

It was Kyungsoo’s turn to feel a little shy, and he could feel his ears turn a rosy shade.

“Um…like I said, it’s hard to resist his charms,” Kyungsoo said diplomatically, and he cleared his throat. “But anyway, you didn’t, so…are you only into girls?”

“No, I like men,” Chanyeol said, “But back to you. Isn’t he your best friend? Are you guys together?”

“I like it better when we talk about you,” Kyungsoo let him know, offering a goofy little grin that made Chanyeol chuckle.

“I’m not as interesting as you,” Chanyeol then said, and this time it was Chanyeol that reached over to touch Kyungsoo, taking Kyungsoo’s fingers into his to play with them. “You’re so small. Even your hands are small.”

“I’m not small. You’re just extra size.”

“Extra size?” Chanyeol asked, looking at him amused, but not removing his fingers from his. “Either way, you’re a lot more interesting. I’m really boring.”

“I don’t find you boring at all,” Kyungsoo told him. “You live alone, and have no friends, and don’t consider anywhere to be home, and you seem perfectly fine with it. It’s like you’re an intrepid nomad, just you and the world. I don’t think I could do it. I like my alone time, but I need people too. It’s why I ended up in therapy after losing my parents.”

“I understand,” Chanyeol said, his eyes turning a bit dark as if clouded by memories. “I lost my mom when I was young. I was never truly alone until I lost her. I had to learn to be by myself after that.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes turned to concern, and he shifted his body a little to better look at him.

“I’m so sorry,” Kyungsoo said. “I didn’t know. But you had your dad still, right?”

“Even when she was around, my dad didn’t really care about me. He only cares about his business. It was a marriage of convenience. My mom had come from money and my dad had come from money, so their families arranged their marriage. After my mom died, my dad married a model he had met, but he doesn’t pay much attention to her either. He made me her responsibility, and she was young and didn’t care to be a mom, so she convinced my dad to ship me off to boarding school so I was out of the picture. So, physically, yes, I have my dad still, but emotionally or in any other sense? No.”

“That’s awful,” Kyungsoo said, holding his hand and giving it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Chanyeol said. “We don’t choose our families, right? I just try and live my own life and not think too deeply about it.”

“Without friends?” Kyungsoo asked, “Or is it only in Seoul that you don’t have friends? Do you have friends in Japan?”

Chanyeol shook his head, “I don’t have friends anywhere. I switched schools a lot, and I never fit in well with the other students, so I just kept to myself.”

“Well, you fit in well with us,” Kyungsoo told him with a smile, trying to make him feel better.

“I…I only tried to be your friend because of my dad’s orders,” Chanyeol said. “But, I really do think you guys are cool. Especially you. And I’ve learned so much.”

“I’m not cool at all. Jongin’s probably the coolest out of all of us.”

“I guess you’d think that about your boyfriend,” Chanyeol smirked, and Kyungsoo almost gasped at him and pretended to smack his arm.

“We’re talking about you.”

“But I want to know more about you,” Chanyeol said, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Kyungsoo let out a frustrated noise, but in a cute way where he didn’t really mean it, and Chanyeol’s face lit up so much that Kyungsoo felt he probably should share some things as well.

“Jongin’s not my boyfriend,” Kyungsoo decided to clarify. “We just hook up sometimes because we’re both lonely and we trust each other.”

“You should just be together then,” Chanyeol reasoned.

“We’re not really each other’s type,” Kyungsoo let him know.

“Well, you made it seem like I’m Jongin’s type,” Chanyeol said, “so, what’s your type?”

Kyungsoo was surprised by his astuteness. He blinked at the question and looked at Chanyeol’s handsome face, feeling the desire to lean in and kiss it.

“Jongin and I have similar tastes,” Kyungsoo said, running his free hand through his hair and glancing down at where he still held Chanyeol’s hand. “What about you? What’s your type?”

“Usually anyone that wants me,” Chanyeol said, looking right at Kyungsoo. “I can’t afford to be picky since I don’t meet a lot of people.”

Now Kyungsoo was beyond fascinated, and he looked up to see what stop they were at, trying to figure out how many stops they had left and willing to risk passing their stop to hear more about this. They had just enough time for Kyungsoo to at least ask questions.

“That’s… Uh, okay, so you haven’t had many relationships?” 

“I’ve never had any,” Chanyeol said, clearing his throat a little. “Not any real relationships or anything. Just hook ups here and there.”

“Explain,” Kyungsoo said, invested and watching him, “because Jongin wanted you, and you didn’t go for him, so how did the other people get in your pants?”

Chanyeol blushed and gave a soft chuckle.

Kyungsoo smiled at him and whined, “I wanna know,” so that Chanyeol felt comfortable enough to answer.

“I mean, I probably would’ve said ‘yes’ to Jongin eventually. I guess I wasn’t feeling desperate enough at the moment. I had a lot on my mind with my dad’s orders for me.”

“Wait…” Kyungsoo then said, “Did you purposely agree to Jongin’s date because you knew he was connected to me?”

“My dad had warned me that you might have an idea something was going on, so he told me to be open to anyone that might approach me. I agreed because I thought that might be the case with Jongin. I mean, he didn’t look like someone that would hang out at a video game café, so I was a bit suspicious of him.”

Kyungsoo snickered at that, then said, “Maybe you didn’t sleep with him because he was just the middle man.”

“Maybe,” Chanyeol shrugged.

“Maybe you like the main event,” Kyungsoo then said, looking up at him with big eyes, knowing how to flirt with the best of them, and then realizing that he was indeed flirting. But he didn’t stop himself from doing it because he couldn’t help who he was.

“I do tend to,” Chanyeol said, looking into his eyes and swallowing.

“Who was your last hookup?” Kyungsoo bit his lip.

“Maybe a few weeks ago in Japan. I was picking up some ramen to go and this businessman came up to me and started talking. He offered to pay for my ramen and invited me back to his place to eat. It’s usually older men that are attracted to me or who at least have the balls to ask me back to their place.”

“That’s hot,” Kyungsoo said, envisioning him with polished and well-to-do older men who wanted to spoil him. “Look at you with a line of sugar daddies in Japan.”

“It’s not like that,” Chanyeol said, ducking his head a little in embarrassment.

“So, am I too young for you?” Kyungsoo teased him. “Have you ever hooked up with someone your own age?”

Chanyeol looked back at him, still a bit embarrassed, but also amused. “Not since college,” he replied.

“So, I have a chance?” Kyungsoo said, raising his eyebrow with a smirk on his face.

Chanyeol coughed a little and looked away, then looked back at him, Kyungsoo still giving him the same expression.

Their stop was announced, and Chanyeol was saved from having to respond. Kyungsoo let out a small laugh, then got up, feeling like he may have been having a little too much fun flirting with Chanyeol, who was far more interesting than he could have even imagined.

***

Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Yixing had made it back from the site in one piece, and Kyungsoo sat on the couch and stared at his friends with wide eyes as they debriefed them on what they had learned.

“Sehun wasn’t kidding,” Baekhyun said. “That place is bad news.”

“You felt it the moment you got anywhere near it,” Jongdae agreed. “It’s this pressure. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“We walked the perimeter,” Baekhyun continued, “and it felt that way the whole way around. It’s about five of them for sure, and something else.”

“Something else?” Kyungsoo asked, leaning forward more.

Baekhyun seemed as if he was thinking, or trying to remember something.

“I don’t know exactly how to explain it,” Baekhyun said, “but there’s an energy there that felt very old.”

“Maybe it used to be a burial ground of some sort,” Jongdae theorized.

“Could be,” Baekhyun said, but he seemed unsure. “Either way, if we really have no choice but to clear this site for Mr. Hae, we’re going to need all hands on deck. It’ll probably take both Dae and I to take out one poltergeist, so Sehun might have to hold off the other ones for as long as he can until we get to each one.”

“There’s no way,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “It’s too much.”

“I’ll be there to help as well,” Yixing said.

“It’s not enough,” Kyungsoo said, and he hated that he could hear the resignation in his voice. “We’d need like ten mediums of Baekhyun’s and Jongdae’s caliber to take them all out. We have to find another way out of this.”

“Irene’s still doing recon,” Jongin said. “We’ll keep waiting.”

“I have a stupid question,” Chanyeol said, raising his hand tentatively from the corner of the couch he sat in.

“There are no such things as stupid questions,” Yixing said with an encouraging smile.

Chanyeol smiled at him, then looked at everyone, and then at Jongin, “If you’re a god, can’t you just make it all go away?”

Kyungsoo wanted to hug him and tell him that he had asked such a cute question, but instead he looked at Jongin for his response.

“People create their own destiny,” Jongin explained. “We can’t interfere with their matters.”

“But you interfered when you made contact with me,” Chanyeol pointed out.

“Yeah, let’s not tell anyone about that, okay?” Jongin told him, looking a little sheepish.

“Jongin helps us when he can, even when he shouldn’t,” Kyungsoo let Chanyeol know. “He’ll do what he needs to do when it’s time to do it, but we can’t rely on that and, like he said, we have to create our own destiny. So it’s up to us to find a way out of this.”

“I want to help,” Chanyeol said. “Is there a role I can take on? What’s available that hasn’t been taken yet?”

“That’s not how it works,” Baekhyun said with a laugh. “You are who you are. Your role is already somewhere within you. Just keep coming with us on our jobs, and you’ll figure it out.”

“Maybe I’ll figure it out when we go back to the greenhouse,” Chanyeol said to Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo nodded at him.

“In the meantime,” Jongin said to Chanyeol, “please do your best to figure out what angle your dad’s playing at.”

“I will,” Chanyeol said, “I really do want to help.”

Baekhyun got up and gave Chanyeol a random hug and noogie on his head, “Welcome to the ghost club.”

They all laughed, and Chanyeol beamed.

Kyungsoo wondered if it was the first time he had ever felt included in something, and he found his heart ached a little for him. He wanted Chanyeol to feel the full experience of that inclusion, so he suggested that they all do dinner at a Korean barbecue place to de-stress from all of the events of the day: from being kidnapped to setting up surveillance at the greenhouse, and all the truths that had been revealed in between. Kyungsoo looked forward to a much-needed evening of food and soju with close friends.

***

On the one hand, Kyungsoo shouldn’t have drunk as much as he had, but on the other, he hadn’t been alone. As the group stumbled out of the restaurant, Kyungsoo couldn’t contain his chuckles at the scene that Baekhyun and Jongdae were creating, singing loudly together, out of tune, two completely different songs while thinking they were singing the same song.

“My ears don’t deserve this,” Jongin lamented, covering his ears and attempting to stay upright as he walked to the car he had hired to pick them up.

Kyungsoo cracked up some more and pat his shoulder, making sure he got into the car alright.

“You’re not coming?” Jongin asked, almost pouting while looking up at him from the seat.

“We have greenhouse surveillance waiting for us back at my place,” Kyungsoo reminded him, and he told Jongin to sleep well and then closed the door for him.

Yixing made sure that Baekhyun and Jongdae were safely inside as well, and then waved goodbye to Kyungsoo and Chanyeol before he closed the door. Kyungsoo watched the car pull away from the curb.

“Let’s call an Uber,” Chanyeol said. “I don’t think I can make it to the station.”

“Good idea,” Kyungsoo said.

While they waited the few minutes for their car to arrive, Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around Chanyeol’s waist and snuggled into him, explaining, “It’s cold.”

Chanyeol didn’t push him away, or say anything to make him think he should stop doing it, and instead he put an arm around him, holding him close to him.

When they arrived at Kyungsoo’s place, Kyungsoo took off his shoes upon entry and tossed his jacket onto the kitchen counter as he walked by it on his way to his desk to turn on monitors.

Chanyeol joined him, leaning over the desk chair to look with him, and he asked, “Anything yet?”

“Nope,” Kyungsoo said. He turned his head to look at Chanyeol, who turned his head to look at him. “I can start reviewing the footage from before now.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said. Kyungsoo noticed Chanyeol’s eyes look down at his lips and then back up to his eyes, and then, after a short pause, he said, “Of course you have a chance.”

“Hm?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes round as he looked at Chanyeol.

“You know it too,” Chanyeol said, his voice now lower and softer. “I have a feeling that Jongin’s not the only one people don’t tend to say ‘no’ to.”

Kyungsoo let out a soft snort, feeling very exposed, but not denying Chanyeol’s theory as he looked at him with daring eyes.

“I think your talent isn’t ghost hunting,” Chanyeol continued. “I think you’re really an incubus.”

“How dare you?” Kyungsoo said with a pout. “I would never have sex with you without asking permission first.”

“Liar,” Chanyeol said, reaching his hand up to run his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair, just above his ear, causing a tingling sensation to travel down Kyungsoo’s neck to his spine. “You’ve been eye fucking me for about a minute now.”

“And you’ve been enjoying every second of it,” Kyungsoo played back, leaning his head into the touch of Chanyeol’s fingertips.

“You’re so freaking cute I can’t keep my eyes off you,” Chanyeol told him, leaning in and speaking softly into his ear. “What do I call an incubus that asks permission then?”

Kyungsoo almost melted at Chanyeol’s breaths against his ear, his voice so low as he spoke and providing the gentlest of vibrations to his ear drums.

“Just a demon,” Kyungsoo said, his own voice soft as it croaked out of his throat.

“What’s sex with a demon like?” Chanyeol asked. He moved his face, dragging his lips across Kyungsoo’s jaw with purpose.

Kyungsoo momentarily wondered where the awkward, naïve, tall man had disappeared to, but he supposed if he tended to hook up with older more experienced men, this may have been an area where Chanyeol wasn’t awkward or naïve at all.

“I can show you,” Kyungsoo said, his own breaths coming out a bit faster. “With your permission.”

“You have my full permission,” Chanyeol said as his lips reached his.

Kyungsoo went in, kissing him hard as they both stood up straight, groping each other and removing each other’s shirts so fast that Kyungsoo barely felt it happen. And as Chanyeol placed his large hands all over his back, and side, and neck, and torso, Kyungsoo couldn’t deny how good it felt to have such large hands on him, something he had never quite experienced before.

They stumbled onto Kyungsoo’s bed, and he thought about how the size of Chanyeol’s hands could hurt him if he wanted to, or envelop him and protect him if needed, and all of those things felt like exactly what Kyungsoo wanted at that moment.

“Demons are mischievous and like to play around a lot during sex,” Kyungsoo informed Chanyeol as he reached for his bare nipple and gave it a little twist, causing Chanyeol to yelp out in pain. “And they love to mix pain in with their pleasure.”

“Oh, like this?” Chanyeol asked, before ducking his head down to take Kyungsoo’s hardened nipple between his teeth and give it a tug.

Kyungsoo let out a gasp of pleasure, grabbing a fistful of Chanyeol’s hair to tug, which lead to more tugging, and pulling, and nails digging deep into skin.

He supposed he had to thank Sehun later for all the info on the sexual lives of demons, and he wondered how Chanyeol would react to some of the things that Sehun had told him he enjoyed most from hooking up with them, like bondage, choking, and Sehun’s personal favorite, wax play. Right now though, with Chanyeol’s big hands, all Kyungsoo could think about was choking, and the thought alone made his dick twitch.

He reached down to unbutton Chanyeol’s jeans, and they soon had their clothes completely off, Chanyeol taking the moment to admire Kyungsoo’s naked body as he kneeled between Kyungsoo’s legs and wrapped his hand around the inside of Kyungsoo’s thigh.

“Demon sex isn’t gentle,” Kyungsoo said, biting his lip as Chanyeol squeezed his thigh, hard, almost as if taking ownership of it.

Kyungsoo hissed, and then said, “I thought I was supposed to be the demon though.”

“I thought so too,” Chanyeol said, roughly moving his hands up Kyungsoo’s thighs, “but you seem to be enjoying the role reversal.”

“I don’t get to experience it that much,” Kyungsoo told him, and he looked him straight in the eyes and said, “Are you okay with this?”

“Do you not see my dick?” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo’s eyes focused downward to the large cock that stood at attention.

“Jesus, you’re so big,” Kyungsoo said. “I want you to fuck me with your big cock while choking me.”

“Is that innuendo?” Chanyeol asked, his eyes going wide.

“It’s a fucking command,” Kyungsoo said, feeling himself become anxious in anticipation.

“I don’t have a condom?” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo reached down to one of his duffel bags and pulled out a tiny bag with a small box of condoms and his small bottle of lube, tossing it toward Chanyeol then getting on his knees and leaning down so that he could take Chanyeol’s cock into his mouth.

“Oh, fucking Christ,” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo felt Chanyeol’s large fingers take over his head, shoving it further down onto him and almost feeling suffocated by trying to take him whole.

He loved every second of it and his own dick pleaded with him for release, but Kyungsoo didn’t mind torturing himself a little, knowing the wait would be well worth it.

Chanyeol then let his head go and explained, “I’m not going to be able to fuck you if I come now.” His hands shook as he fumbled the condom box to open it.

Kyungsoo helped him, putting the condom on for him and then moving back so that he lay flat against his bed, ready with anticipation, but then Chanyeol revealed his own inner mischievous demon, smirking at Kyungsoo as he sucked on his own fingers and then inserted one, and then two into Kyungsoo to loosen him up. Kyungsoo whimpered, wanting all of him now.

But Chanyeol made him wait for it, and then beg for it, and then practically yell at him to hurry up and fuck him. By the time Chanyeol was actually in him, Kyungsoo didn’t think he’d be able to hold it in any longer. When one of Chanyeol’s large, strong hands enveloped Kyungsoo’s throat, Kyungsoo made a sound he had never heard himself make, and the pressure of Chanyeol’s hand constricting around Kyungsoo’s neck and cutting off just enough oxygen made Kyungsoo struggle a bit to find his own dick with his own hand. But he did, just in time to give it two hard strokes as cum spilled all over.

Kyungsoo’s pleasure was so intense that he couldn’t register what happened exactly then, but at some point he felt Chanyeol’s hand relax his grasp around his throat. Chanyeol gave a couple of small final thrusts before he pulled out of him completely, then fell into the tiny space of bed between Kyungsoo and the wall, panting and laying his broad hand on Kyungsoo’s narrow chest.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol managed to breathe out in between pants.

“I’m more than okay,” Kyungsoo said, his voice a bit raspy. He cleared his throat, thinking that he had never experienced a more intense sexual encounter than this. But then again, he rarely incorporated the sexual lives of demons into his own sex life.

“You sure?” Chanyeol said after a moment, propping himself up on his arm to look at him and inspect Kyungsoo’s neck. “I didn’t choke you too hard, did I?”

“It was perfect,” Kyungsoo told him. He reached his hand up to cup Chanyeol’s cheek, taking in how spent and wrecked Chanyeol looked, his hair a mess, his lips swollen, his breath still ragged. “You’re perfect.”

“No,” Chanyeol said, touching his hand to Kyungsoo’s and then pulling it down from his face as he stared at him. “You’re the perfect one here,” he stated, and then leaned down, catching Kyungsoo’s lips into his as he gave another kiss, one softer, but longer, that Kyungsoo had no intentions of stopping.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms, the pitter patter of rain lulling them to sleep and masking any sound that came from the monitors that night as a dark shadow passed by on the screens.

***

Kyungsoo looked in the mirror, at the bruises and indentations of Chanyeol’s fingers on his neck, and he was grateful that it was still raining today because it would give him a decent enough excuse to wear a turtleneck.

He couldn’t explain what had taken over him last night, and as much as he would like to blame the bottles of soju that had been consumed, Kyungsoo had very much known what he had been doing when he had kissed Chanyeol and ended up with him in his bed.

Once again, he stared at himself and mentally asked, “What the fuck are you doing?” And then he went to take a shower.

When he emerged from his bathroom, towel drying his hair and having had the mind to bring his clothes into the bathroom with him so he could be fully dressed, he saw Chanyeol in the kitchen, microwaving their leftover soup from two nights ago.

“Breakfast,” Chanyeol said, once he had turned and saw him at the door of the bathroom staring at him.

“Good idea,” Kyungsoo said, dropping his towel onto the desk chair and rewinding the footage from last night.

Chanyeol brought them over the heated up containers of soup, and Kyungsoo thanked him, watching the footage as it rewound.

“I should probably go shower too,” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo noticed a tentative tone to his voice. He looked over at him to see the man stirring his soup a bit shyly.

Kyungsoo leaned over and sneaked a kiss onto his cheek to put him at ease, to let him know that he regretted nothing about last night, and mostly to let him know that he didn’t know what to say about it so he wasn’t planning on saying anything at all.

Chanyeol smiled at the kiss and seemed a touch relieved at least, sipping a spoonful of his soup before placing the container down and collecting his clothes from the floor to take to the bathroom with him.

Kyungsoo felt a little relieved himself, finding that he didn’t like when Chanyeol didn’t feel at ease around him. He knew they’d probably have to exchange some words about it at some point, but that could probably wait until after they went and picked up his equipment from the greenhouse.

The footage continued rewinding with nothing of importance appearing, and Kyungsoo spaced out as he watched it and ate his soup. He listened to the shower run and thought about how nice Chanyeol probably looked naked and wet. He then wondered if his therapist would mind a cross-Pacific phone call, something along the lines of, “Hey, I hate to bother you, but my dick is obsessed with this hot, tall guy whose dad might be trying to kill me. Is it normal to be this turned on? Also, I told him to choke me during sex after being kidnapped and choked that morning by his dad’s rival who’s also trying to kill me. Totally normal, right?”

“I’m such a fucking mess,” Kyungsoo muttered to himself, dipping his spoon back into the container to get another spoonful of soup.

On the bright side, he’d probably be dead soon and wouldn’t need to worry about all of his life’s bad decisions.

An odd sound broke Kyungsoo out of his far away thoughts, and he focused back on the camera and then almost dropped his container of soup.

“Shit,” he said, grabbing the mouse to stop the footage from rewinding and pausing it, the screen very clearly showing a dark shadow hovering beside the ill-fated pots of plants. “Shit, shit, shit,” he said again, looking around for his phone and finding it on the desk.

He called Sehun first, the phone ringing a few times before he picked up.

“I’m gonna need you to meet me at this greenhouse in about an hour,” he told the necromancer as he crouched beside his suitcase and dug through his clothes for a clean pair of socks. “I have a demon. I’ll text you the address.”

Sehun said he’d hurry and then Kyungsoo called Jongdae.

“I’m so hungover,” Jongdae whined into the phone.

“I’m going to need you at that greenhouse I set up surveillance on. It’s a demon.”

“Fuck, okay, let me go throw up first,” Jongdae said and hung up.

Kyungsoo texted the address out to both Sehun and Jongdae, then sat on the floor, hurrying to get his socks on.

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol asked, coming out fully dressed as well, and also towel drying his hair.

“Take a look at the screen,” Kyungsoo said, nodding toward the monitor.

Chanyeol walked to the desk and took a look, then asked, “What is that?”

“It’s a demon,” Kyungsoo told him, and Chanyeol’s eyes widened.

“An actual, real demon? Not like that guy we met at Jongin’s?”

“They’re both actual, real demons,” Kyungsoo said, standing up and looking around for his keys. “We have to go. I told both Sehun and Jongdae to meet us there in an hour. Shit, I have to call the owner.”

Kyungsoo called the woman to let her know that she had a demon while Chanyeol sat on the bed, hurrying to get his socks on.

The rain came down harder as they hurried to the train, and then to the bus stop to catch the bus that would take them out to where the greenhouse was located.

The owner greeted them as soon as they arrived, and she assured Kyungsoo that she had followed his instructions.

“I made sure everyone left. There’s no one inside,” she said.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo told her. He pulled up her contract for services on his phone with one hand, his other occupied with his umbrella, and showed it to her, “I need to remind you of the terms and conditions and how we are not responsible for any damage.”

The woman read the highlighted paragraph and looked at him concerned, “Is there going to be a lot of damage?”

“It’s a demon,” he told her. “They don’t leave quietly. If you have any special plants that mean a lot to you in there, I suggest you remove them.”

The woman gasped and hurried back inside. Kyungsoo motioned for Chanyeol to follow him in so they could help her save what she wanted.

Sehun arrived moments later with Junmyeon, and he looked around the enclosure, then at the glass panels above, and then at the plants all around.

“A demon in a greenhouse,” he said to Kyungsoo, who held some rather hefty, prized radish in a pot. “This is a first for me.”

“This is a first for all of us,” Kyungsoo said. “We’re almost done removing her important things. You can start surveying.”

Sehun nodded, and Kyungsoo took the radish plant outside, putting it right beside the others. He then noticed Jongdae hurrying over to them from the bus stop.

“A demon in a greenhouse?” Jongdae asked, moving his umbrella over the two of them.

“I know,” Kyungsoo told him, and he tried really hard to not feel a small pang of guilt in his chest, but it hit him anyway. “You okay?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“I’m good now. Jongin had some haejangguk delivered so I could eat it before I left. I practically feel brand new. Baek on the other hand…”

Kyungsoo smirked. Baek could handle pesky spirits far better than he could handle those of the alcoholic variety.

“Sehun’s surveying things, and we’re almost done taking out her prized plants, so we should be ready soon.”

Jongdae looked over Kyungsoo’s shoulder, and Kyungsoo did the same to see Chanyeol walking out with a huge tree looking thing in a pot.

“Same clothes again?” Jongdae asked him.

“We were monitoring the greenhouse,” Kyungsoo said, but he couldn’t look Jongdae in the eyes, and he really needed to figure out why. Things were complicated between them right now, surely hooking up with a lead was perfectly fine in that situation. It had to be. “And you’re one to talk,” Kyungsoo said, finally looking at him and poking him in the chest. “What happened to your change of clothes at Jongin’s?”

“I haven’t done laundry,” Jongdae shrugged.

“Hm,” Kyungsoo said. “Maybe I’m the one that needs to be jealous here,” he teased.

“Hm,” Jongdae said back, and then Kyungsoo noticed a very familiar person getting out of the car that pulled up on the street.

“What the… Why is Baekhyun here?” Kyungsoo asked Jongdae.

“What?” Jongdae asked, turning around to see for himself. “What the hell? I told him he couldn’t come.”

Kyungsoo rushed over to where Baekhyun and Yixing stood with umbrellas, waving at them.

“Get back in that..” Kyungsoo watched the car pull away, “car…”

“I figured if Jongdae’s my backup, then I can be his,” Baekhyun said with a wide smile, like if that was going to make Kyungsoo buy his bullshit.

“It’s a demon,” Kyungsoo reminded him. “You’re not an exorcist, Baek.”

“But I’m moral support,” Baekhyun pointed out.

“I told you to stay your ass home,” Jongdae said. “Wait, you’re really alert for someone whose hungover.”

“Right? I ate the rest of your soup. It really works,” Baekhyun said, as if Jongdae didn’t know that from his own experience.

“Baek…” Kyungsoo said with a warning tone.

“Soo…” Baekhyun said, with the same levity, and then he smiled, “Don’t worry…”

“Yixing’s here,” Kyungsoo and Jongdae finished for him at the same time.

Yixing smiled and put his arm around Baekhyun, as if proving that he was there to protect him like they didn’t already know.

“Let’s just get inside the greenhouse and out of the rain,” Kyungsoo said turning to head back, Jongdae keeping up with him to keep the umbrella over the both of them.

With the help of Junmyeon, Sehun had rearranged things in the demon-infested area so that he had enough space to try and contain him. He spray painted a large circle onto the concrete, large enough to fit all of them into it and then shook the can as he looked at Kyungsoo.

“Let me know when we’re ready,” Sehun said, and Kyungsoo nodded, looking at everyone gathered.

“Why are you here?” Junmyeon asked Yixing, his eyebrow raised.

“I’m with him,” Yixing said, pointing to Baekhyun.

“And we don’t know why he’s here either,” Jongdae said, crouching down in front of his backpack as he pulled his things out.

“Moral support,” Baekhyun said with a fist in the air.

Kyungsoo noticed Chanyeol looking down and around, and then he looked at Kyungsoo with a sheepish smile, “I was looking for the cat. I really like the cat.”

Kyungsoo’s smile may have gone wider than he had intended, but he couldn’t help it. Why did Chanyeol have to be so endearing?

“Reapers only show up when it’s a human spirit that needs to be taken. Demons were never human,” Kyungsoo explained.

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, appearing to absorb this information. “Okay.”

“I think we should keep our umbrellas open,” Baekhyun said pointing at the glass above them.

“Not a bad idea,” Kyungsoo agreed, opening his again, then holding it in one hand as he held his camera in the other. “Okay, I think we can get started.”

Sehun nodded at Junmyeon, then began spray painting the pentagram inside the circle in order to try and trap the demon. It appeared that Sehun’s strategy was to get Junmyeon to lure his fellow demon into the circle, since Junmyeon was now walking around the circle with his hands behind his back, very much like a man in charge and needing to be listened to.

“Is he speaking Latin?” Chanyeol whispered to Kyungsoo.

“No, it’s some demon language, but it does sound a lot like Latin,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“There’s a demon language?” Chanyeol asked, looking amazed.

Kyungsoo smiled at him, completely taken by his excitement, and then he focused again on Junmyeon, whose hair was starting to blow in the wind now, even though no additional air source existed. Sehun indicated to Junmyeon with a single finger that he was almost done with his pentagram, adding the final touches and once again creating what looked like a work of art.

Jongdae still crouched beside his backpack, watching the scene, all his items lined up in front of him as he waited for his turn.

Junmyeon’s voice got louder, and now Kyungsoo could feel the wind against his own skin, blowing his hair to the side, and forcing him to steady his hand on his umbrella as it was tilted to the side as well.

Sehun nodded to Junmyeon and quickly stepped out of the circle. Kyungsoo looked at the screen on his camera and could see the dark shadow trailing behind Junmyeon, and then he caught the moment when Junmyeon crossed into the circle and the demon followed him right into the trap.

“He’s in,” Kyungsoo said.

Jongdae stood up, holy water in one hand and a large crucifix in the other.

“Wait wait wait,” Sehun said to him. “Wait for Junmyeon to get out.”

“And Xing,” Baekhyun said.

“Yes, please,” Yixing said, looking a little nervously at Jongdae.

The wind gusted stronger and several plants around the circle were knocked over, the demon showing his anger at the realization he was now trapped.

“Yixing,” Sehun said to the angel, “can you distract the demon so Junmyeon can get out of the circle?”

“Yes,” Yixing said, and he went to the other side of the circle, speaking in an angel dialect that made the wind gust pick up even more.

Sehun knelt on one knee by the section of the circle that was still open so that Junmyeon could cross out of it, and once he had, Sehun hurried to spray paint it so that the circle was now completely closed.

“Let’s go,” Junmyeon said to Yixing.

The angel moved away from the circle and grabbed Baekhyun’s hand as he hurried to leave the greenhouse with Junmyeon.

“No, you go, I’m fine,” Baekhyun told him.

“This is too dangerous,” Yixing said.

“This isn’t the time, Baek,” Kyungsoo told him with a stern tone. “Go and make sure Yixing and Junmyeon are a safe enough distance away to not be impacted by the exorcism.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun nodded, running out with the angel and demon. Baekhyun closed the door behind them to minimize the effects of the exorcism outside of the greenhouse.

“He’s getting really angry, guys,” Sehun said as pots of plants started rising and hurling toward them.

“Just give them fifteen more seconds at least to get far enough away,” Kyungsoo told Jongdae.

The exorcist nodded, and then ducked as a couple of plants landed right by him, the pots smashing on the concrete.

“Guys, guys,” Sehun said, scooting back away from the circle a bit. “It’s breaking it. It’s breaking the circle.”

Kyungsoo felt the ground beneath him quake and sure enough a small crack began forming in the concrete, cutting right through the circle.

“Dae, now!” Kyungsoo yelled out.

Jongdae went straight into action, running toward where the crack was most egregious and flinging holy water at the demon to keep it back. He chanted his exorcisms loudly, banishing the demon from this realm as he held a large, ornate crucifix out toward him.

The dark shadow no longer existed only in Kyungsoo’s screen, it was now visible to his eyes. Kyungsoo heard Chanyeol say, “Holy shit,” as the demon flailed backwards and then lunged toward Jongdae.

“Dae!” Kyungsoo yelled out.

But Jongdae was a pro, and he poured the holy water onto the part of the circle that had cracked, binding it again and holding his crucifix out to disorient the demon who realized its path out of the circle was blocked once more.

The ground beneath them shook even stronger and the pots around them started falling off their tables and onto the ground. The realization began to hit all of them that this was a strong demon.

Sehun was the first one to spring into action, pulling his grimoire out from his backpack and getting to his feet so he could recite spells to help weaken it.

Kyungsoo gave the camera to Chanyeol and told him to shelter under a table and keep filming. Kyungsoo then grabbed Sehun’s spray paint can and started running around the circle to close up any gaps the annoying strong demon kept making with his mini earthquakes.

He assessed the scene to see what gap would need to be filled next, and then Kyungsoo felt a streak of terror jolt though him. A strong sense of foreboding took over his entire being as he felt the little hairs on his neck stand up. He knew this feeling intimately, and he shivered as he slowly started to look over his shoulder, his breathing becoming ragged as his hands shook, dreading what he’d see.

The new seismic jolt caused the glass panes of the greenhouse to shudder, and Kyungsoo’s head turned away from his dread to look up instead, just in time to see the glass above them shatter. Kyungsoo had just enough time to get his arms up to cover his head as the glass came crashing down all around them. He could hear the sounds of anger from the demon in the strong wind that almost knocked him down.

And then, just like that, silence.

“Dae!” Kyungsoo heard Sehun yell, and he snapped his head back toward the circle, then watched as Sehun, who had been in a kneeling position while holding the grimoire over his head to protect from the raining glass, got up to run toward Jongdae who was passed out on the floor.

Kyungsoo yelled out his name and ran over to him.

“Dae, wake up,” Kyungsoo said, taking his head into his lap as he knelt beside him and tapped his cheek to get him to come around.

Jongdae blinked his eyes open and then narrowed them at Kyungsoo and asked, “Is it gone?”

“Yeah, it’s gone,” Kyungsoo told him, running his fingers over his cheek.

“Good,” Jongdae said. He took a deep breath then tried to sit up, Kyungsoo helping him.

“He gave one good gust in your direction before he left,” Sehun said, kneeling beside Jongdae as well. “I saw it.”

“Yeah, I felt that,” Jongdae agreed, rubbing his chest. “It knocked me down, and I think I hit my head.”

“Might be a concussion,” Kyungsoo said. “We should get you to a hospital.”

“I’m okay,” Jongdae waved off. “It just caught me a little off guard.”

“You okay?” Kyungsoo heard Sehun ask, and he looked over to see Chanyeol, under the table as directed, still gripping the camera, with eyes wider than the gaping hole above them.

“Sure,” Chanyeol said, looking anything but okay.

The door opened, and Baekhyun came running in with Junmyeon, Yixing, and the owner right behind.

“Is everyone okay?” Baekhyun asked.

Junmyeon ran right to Sehun to assess him and pull him into a hug.

“We’re pretty okay,” Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun, “But Jongdae needs to go to the hospital. He might have a concussion.”

“I’m fine,” Jongdae waved off.

“I don’t care,” Kyungsoo said, and he knew he sounded upset, but for reasons he couldn’t explain, he needed them to listen to him. “You’re going to the damn hospital.”

“You should probably go too,” Yixing said to Kyungsoo, pointing to the nicks and cuts caused from the glass on his hands.

“Everyone’s going,” Baekhyun said, with one big swoop of his arm. “I’m getting us a party Uber now to take us all there.”

“A party Uber?” Yixing asked him amused.

“Our crew goes to the hospital in style,” Baekhyun said.

Kyungsoo stood up and walked over to the owner, who stood with her hand to her mouth, looking on the verge of tears as she looked around her destroyed greenhouse.

“It was a strong demon,” Kyungsoo told her. “We did our best to contain it, but it was quite angry. It is gone now.”

The woman looked at him and shook her head, then wrapped her arms around him in a hug that took Kyungsoo by surprise.

“Thank you so much. I had no idea. Thank you.”

Kyungsoo understood that feeling well, and he assured her that everything would be fine from now on as he pat her back. He just wished he could give the same assurance to himself and his team.

***

When Jongin rushed into the hospital, Kyungsoo assured him everything was fine, even though his hands being wrapped in bandages made Jongin think differently.

“It’s just to keep them sterile until they start to heal,” Kyungsoo had explained as Jongin looked at his hands worried. “There was a lot of glass.”

Then Jongin had pulled him into a tight hug, following suit with Sehun, Junmyeon, Yixing, Baekhyun, and even Chanyeol.

They took him to Jongdae’s room, where their exorcist sipped some juice that the nurses fawning over him had provided. They appeared to think he looked adorable every time he gave them his signature cat-lipped smile, which Kyungsoo could very much relate to.

“I see you’ve got everything under control,” Jongin said to him with a laugh. He leaned down to give him a small hug as well, lightly, not wanting to injure him further.

“I told Kyungsoo I was fine, but he overreacted, and now I’m getting spoiled, so that worked out,” Jongdae said with a big smile.

“He’s not fine,” Kyungsoo then said. “They said he suffered a mild concussion and are keeping him overnight for observation.”

“I wasn’t even out for a minute. I’ll be fine,” Jongdae assured them.

“Why was this such a strong demon?” Jongin asked Kyungsoo, still appearing frustrated by all this. “Don’t take on any more jobs while you’re here. We have bigger things to focus on, and we can’t be losing people if we have to take down five poltergeists.”

Kyungsoo didn’t have to be told twice. He nodded and went to go stand next to the chair Chanyeol sat in. Chanyeol seemed less shaken up now as he asked a million questions to Baekhyun, who sat in the chair beside him.

“I mean it,” Jongin said, standing beside Kyungsoo.

“I know,” Kyungsoo told him. “And I agree with you. We won’t take on anymore.”

Jongin looked a little dubious, but he rubbed Kyungsoo’s back and they both looked over at Jongdae, who was being cute with one of the female nurses again as she adjusted his bed for him while Yixing held his hand, trying to give him strength as only an angel could.

“We’re going to head out,” Sehun said to Kyungsoo. “Keep us updated, okay?”

“Definitely will,” Kyungsoo said, hugging him. “Thank you for everything once again.”

“Anytime,” Sehun told him, and he waved goodbye to Jongin, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun then headed over to Jongdae to give him a goodbye hug as well. Junmyeon bowed goodbye to them and headed out with the necromancer.

“Okay, explain this to me,” Chanyeol said to Baekhyun. “So, if he’s a demon, why doesn’t he look like the scary shadow thing that was a demon?”

“He’s taken on a human form,” Baekhyun explained. “Demons, angels, reapers, gods, they all have the power to take on human form whenever they want.”

“How?” Chanyeol asked, not quite believing him.

“Kind of like the same way a spirit can possess a person, except that they’re not human, and they have different abilities than we do. So, instead of possessing, they can literally become a human. Well, almost. They don’t have a human soul. It’s still their angel-self and demon-self, but inside a human body. That’s why they all seem so awkward.”

“How do they get the body?”

“Well,” Baekhyun said, “an angel will only ever use a body that is no longer needed, but demons are jerks, so they’ll worm their way into one even if the person is still alive.”

“Junmyeon used one that was no longer needed,” Jongin let Chanyeol know. “He’s not a jerk like other demons.”

“Not all demons are evil,” Baekhyun then explained to Chanyeol. “Demons are just fallen angels, which means, they were angels that didn’t like following the rules, so they got kicked out of the angel club and formed their own rebellious club. But angels have a lot of stupid rules, so it’s kind of easy to get kicked out.”

“Do we know why Junmyeon got kicked out?” Chanyeol asked, looking from Baekhyun to Jongin and back.

“We don’t know, but I’m sure he’s told Sehun,” Baekhyun said. “Yixing said he doesn’t think it’s anything too bad. It’s kind of like…” Baekhyun paused and looked up as if to think of a way to explaining. “It’s like how not everyone in prison is a murderer. Junmyeon’s not evil. He just chose to not follow one of the rules one time and it cost him.”

“Ah,” Chanyeol said nodding. “That makes sense.”

“It’s also why Yixing and I can’t be together,” Baekhyun said with a sigh. “Angels aren’t allowed to fall in love with humans. Yixing would become a demon if he actually reciprocated. So here I sit in my unrequited love bubble, a true tragedy of Greek proportions, a lonely duck in a large pond, peanut butter without his jelly, just a…”

“Please stop him,” Jongin said to Chanyeol, who just laughed, and then Chanyeol asked, “Maybe Junmyeon fell in love with Sehun and that’s why he got kicked out of the angel club?”

“Junmyeon was already a demon when Sehun first met him,” Jongin said. “Although, not one with human form. But they kept running into each other on jobs and one day Junmyeon popped up in human form, probably because he had fallen for Sehun and knew that was the only way they could physically be together.”

Kyungsoo would normally have had something to add to their answers or been more interactive, but all he could do was stare at Jongdae in his hospital bed, resting while Yixing held his hand and spoke to him with a sweet smile. It was his fault that Jongdae had gotten hurt. He had known it was a bad idea to let his friends join him on this quest of his, and he knew that somehow he was going to have to put an end to it without their help.

After giving Jongdae a hug and kiss on the cheek, and telling him to please rest and get better, Kyungsoo headed out with the rest of his friends, getting an Uber for himself despite Jongin insisting he stay with him instead.

“I can’t,” Kyungsoo said.

“Because something’s on your mind, and you’re not letting any of us in,” Jongin pointed out, knowing him far too well. “It’s not your fault Dae got hurt,” he then added.

But once again, Kyungsoo knew better. He had felt it at the greenhouse, right before the glass had shattered and rained all over them. He knew this was his fault.

“We’ll reconvene tomorrow,” Kyungsoo told him, noticing his Uber pull up.

Jongin didn’t look satisfied at his lack of response to his concerns, but he nodded and left to go into his own car that had been called, Baekhyun and Yixing already having gotten in.

Kyungsoo looked over at Chanyeol, who stood with his hands in front of him looking down.

“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol.

“I’m…” Chanyeol looked up at him, and he appeared to be a bit shaken all over again. “Now that it’s dark, I’m… Can I go back home with you?”

“Yeah, of course,” Kyungsoo told him, looking at Chanyeol with concern. Kyungsoo took his hand to lead him to the car.

As they sat in the backseat, Kyungsoo took the liberty of resting his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder, needing the feeling of being steadied.

“I’m sorry that today shook you up so much,” Kyungsoo said, letting his eyes close to rest them a bit.

“It was really scary,” Chanyeol said. “I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight. I can’t believe that was real.”

“It never stops being scary,” Kyungsoo let him know. “You get used to the tamer spirits and demons, but the strong ones are always scary. I wish I had sensed it was going to be a strong one, then I wouldn’t have had us take it on.”

“I think I needed to see it,” Chanyeol then said, and he ran his fingers soothingly through Kyungsoo’s hair. “I think I needed to understand.”

“Understand what?”

“How much danger you’re in,” Chanyeol said, and then he fell silent for a small moment, then said, “I’m going to try harder to find out what my dad wants from you.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes flickered open, and he looked up at him expectantly, “Do you have any theories yet?”

“No,” Chanyeol said. “I have to think about it a bit more. I’ll let you know what I find out after I go see him tomorrow.”

Kyungsoo nodded and cuddled into him more, taking a light nap on the drive back to his apartment.

That night was a strong juxtaposition to the night prior, with cuddles and soft kisses that were meant to calm and assure that everything was fine. Kyungsoo found that he felt safe wrapped in Chanyeol’s big arms, and he hated that depending on what Chanyeol found out from his dad, Kyungsoo might be putting Chanyeol’s life in danger as well.

***

The rain had let up that morning, and after waking up to more soft kisses and cuddles, Chanyeol left Kyungsoo’s apartment to head home. Kyungsoo went to visit Jongdae in the hospital.

“I feel one thousand percent fine,” Jongdae told him with a smile and a thumbs up. “Even the nurse said I seemed to be doing well.”

“No headaches?” Kyungsoo asked, sitting beside him and taking Jongdae’s hand, which was a bit cold courtesy of the low temperature of the room.

“I had a tiny one when I woke up, but nothing some ibuprofen couldn’t fix,” Jongdae assured him, but Kyungsoo still felt wary.

“Well, we won’t have to worry about this happening again,” Kyungsoo said with a forced smile. “I promised Jongin we wouldn’t take on anymore hunts.”

“Sure you did,” Jongdae said, losing his smile. “Soo, I need you to not do anything stupid right now.”

“Everything I do is stupid,” Kyungsoo said. “It’s apparently in my DNA to make sure and do nothing but stupid things.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I should have texted you right after Jongin to tell you to stay home,” Kyungsoo said, wishing he could go back to that day and stop Jongdae from flying out to help.

Jongdae squeezed Kyungsoo’s hand, as if he was the one needing the comfort instead of the man in the hospital bed.

“Dae,” Kyungsoo said, feeling his chest constrict a bit, “once you’re released, you should buy a plane ticket and go back home.”

“Are you under the impression that I would be able to live with the guilt of leaving you here to handle this on your own if something bad happened to you?”

“I’m going to find another way,” Kyungsoo said, mostly to himself, but he wanted Jongdae to hear it as well.

“Sure you are,” Jongdae said, and then he sighed and pulled his hand away from Kyungsoo’s. “If you’re going to find another way, then there’s no harm in me staying.”

“It’ll be too distracting with you here,” Kyungsoo tried to make him understand.

“Is that what I was to you? A distraction? Is that why you pulled away?”

Kyungsoo looked at him, knowing he deserved some sort of answer, and Kyungsoo tried to think of one that made sense, even if wasn’t the entire truth.

“Baek, my parents, I…I didn’t want to lose you too.”

“You didn’t lose Baek,” Jongdae said, “You keep putting him in the same category as your parents, but he’s very much alive.”

“Only because his guardian angel took on a human form and rushed in to save him in time,” Kyungsoo argued.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s still alive.”

“Why didn’t my parents’ guardian angels do the same?” Kyungsoo asked, not Jongdae, not anyone in particular.

He remembered staring stunned at the mangled cars in front of him, hoping, wishing, begging the universe to send their guardian angels down and do something. He had seen it happen. He knew it could happen. And yet it didn’t. There were no guardian angels at the crash site. There was only…

Kyungsoo shook his head again, his body shivering, and Jongdae squeezed his hand.

“It was their time,” Jongdae said. “You know how it works, Soo. The reapers wouldn’t have taken their souls if it wasn’t. And I know you’ve gone through their home looking for signs of their spirits, but they’re gone. They’re supposed to be, babe. And if…my time comes while we’re working together…”

“No,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “No. It’s not going to happen. I’m not going to let it. Go home. I’m going to talk to everyone else and tell them the same thing.”

“If you think Jongin’s going to listen to you…”

“He will. He’ll have to.”

“Good luck then,” Jongdae said, and then he seemed to come up with an idea and smiled at Kyungsoo once more. “If you somehow can convince Jongin to leave, then I’ll leave. If he stays, I stay. Have fun with that.”

“This isn’t a game,” Kyungsoo said, a little frustrated.

“No, it isn’t. Which is why Jongin won’t leave, which is why I won’t leave, and you know Baekhyun won’t leave.”

Kyungsoo shook his head and then realized his friends were impossible.

“Fine,” he said to Jongdae, “If Jongin leaves, you leave. I’ll get Jongin to leave.”

“Mhmm,” Jongdae said, a knowing smirk on his face.

“You’ll see,” Kyungsoo said, letting go of his hand and standing up. “If you feel your head hurt again, please be honest with the nurses and tell them. There’s no point in you trying to rush out of here since you’ll be jobless.”

Jongdae laughed at that, and then touched his hand to his head with a little pout, which made Kyungsoo smirk in return. He gave Jongdae a hug and kiss on the cheek then left.

***

A number of things had been bothering Kyungsoo since Mr. Hae had kidnapped him from the national library. The main thing being, why did Mr. Hae go there so often? At first he had thought that the man had been researching information on the box, but the more Kyungsoo thought about it, the more he realized that it couldn’t have been that difficult to find information on it, especially when Mr. Hae was afforded privileges to take the texts he needed home at his leisure.

In fact, after Kyungsoo had left the hospital that morning, he had gone back home to do some online research on the boxes, and the information he found was similar to what was in the book he had read in the rare collections department. The information he couldn’t find, however, was the information that had been given to him by, first, the curator for the Park antique collection, and then by the old men in the rare collections department.

So Kyungsoo got on a bus, having realized that Mr. Hae didn’t go there over and over to read books after all.

The librarian remembered him and greeted him once again as he apologized for not alerting her to his arrival.

“I was in the neighborhood,” he tried to explain, and she told him that it was no problem.

Once he entered the rare books department, he found the same three men at the table, once again poring over the large volumes of genealogy.

If there was something that Kyungsoo had learned over time about older people, specifically those that fancied themselves as scholars, it was that the right question needed to be asked to get the exact answer needed.

“_Annyeonghaseyo, ahjussi_,” Kyungsoo said, as respectfully as he could, bowing to the men.

All three looked at him at the same time.

“Ah, our young high school friend,” the man with the largest book said. The older man with the wire-rimmed glasses sat in the same exact spot as last time, on the other side of the table from where Kyungsoo had been.

“I’m not…I graduated a long time ago remember?” Kyungsoo tried to remind him.

“Time flies by so fast,” the man with the white hair, who had sat beside Kyungsoo last time, said with a rough laugh that made his bespectacled companion across from him laugh as well.

“Have you found your box for your employer?” The white-haired man asked him.

“No. No, I haven’t,” Kyungsoo said, and this time he sat on the other side of him, across from the older gentleman with salt and pepper hair that hadn’t said a word last time and seemed to be just as silent now. Kyungsoo looked at him with interest, and then looked at his two chatty companions, “I feel that I may have not been looking for the right thing last time.”

“So, not a box then?” The gentleman with the glasses said.

Kyungsoo took out his phone and pulled up a picture of the owner of the Hae Corporation, showing it to them.

“Have you seen this man come in here often?” Kyungsoo asked, staring at them for their reactions.

“Of course,” the white-haired man beside him said. “He usually sits in the seat you’re sitting in now.”

“Is he a friend of yours?” Kyungsoo looked at them, hoping he hadn’t walked into a trap.

“We are all friends here,” the man with glasses said. “He is a friend to us as you are right now. Is he who you work for?”

“No,” Kyungsoo said, “but I need to know why he comes here and what he’s looking for.”

“Well, you answered your own question didn’t you?” The man beside him said with another rough laugh. “He comes here because he’s looking for something.”

“Right,” Kyungsoo said, clearing his throat and very much exercising his patience, “but what is it that he’s looking for?”

The two chatty men looked toward their quiet third companion, and Kyungsoo turned his attention to the man across from him.

“_Sonsaengnim_,” Kyungsoo said to him, trying to make sure he was careful and as respectful as possible, “What is this man looking for?”

The man looked up at him and seemed to study him for a moment, and then he replied in a tone that very much sounded like he had spent many decades as a professor.

“A key.”

The man said it so simply that Kyungsoo waited for more until he realized that nothing more would be said.

“A key to what?” Kyungsoo asked, knowing he looked confused.

“The very box you sought prior,” the man said, staring right into Kyungsoo’s eyes, which made him a little nervous, but luckily his confusion was more prevalent at the moment.

“But,” Kyungsoo thought about the box he had seen in the book, and then the box he had seen in the Park’s antique warehouse. “The box has no lock. It’s a jewelry box. There’s no lock on it.”

“I sense that you may be someone who is aware that not all things are visible or even of our realm,” the man said, challenging him very much as a professor would.

Kyungsoo nodded slowly at him, realizing that this was not a physical key, but a metaphysical one, more than likely associated with the spirit within that was supposedly responsible for the distribution of the power and wealth that came from the box.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said, understanding, but still confused. “So, does he have this box already?”

“Have?” The man said, appearing as if he was letting the word toss around a bit in his mind. “I would not say he has it. He knows its whereabouts, and he is aware that in order to obtain what he wants, he must find the key that belongs to it.”

“Do you know where the box is?”

“Its location is not something that has been revealed by him to us.”

And then Kyungsoo thought about why he was in this mess in the first place, and he took a small breath, looking down for a moment to collect his thoughts. He looked back at the man and started to ask the heaviest question on his mind.

“Do you know…” Kyungsoo realized then that he had no idea how to ask the question that he wanted. “I mean.” He looked down again at the wooden table, his eyes following the wood grains momentarily as he attempted to figure out how to ask his question.

“Tell me what it is that weighs heavy on your mind,” the man said to him, and Kyungsoo looked up to see that he appeared to be prodding him, forcing him to not lose focus.

“My parents…They, um, they left me an item in their will. But when they died, the executor of the will informed me that the item was missing. I did research and it led me to this. So, I guess I want to confirm if this box is that item. Otherwise, I’m wasting my time being here in Seoul in the first place.”

“Hm,” the man said, and he looked over at the man with glasses beside him, who nodded at him and stood up.

Kyungsoo watched him walk over to the shelves and pull out another book, one that also looked like a registry of some sort.

“The Korean Antique Society does an excellent job of tracking important artifacts in our country,” the man stated as he sat back down and opened the registry. “Of course, when the man who normally sits in your seat needed to know who possessed the box he desired, he consulted the registry.”

Kyungsoo’s heart raced as the man thumbed through several pages before turning the book around and sliding it closer to Kyungsoo to look at. He pointed to a very specific line, one that mentioned the very box he had suspected to be from his will, and beside it was the name of a person he had known well in his youth, but barely knew now.

“God damn it,” Kyungsoo said, not bothering to censor himself as he brought his hands up just to drop his head into them.

“You know the name then?” The man with glasses asked.

Kyungsoo sighed and dropped his hands, nodding at the man.

“It’s my grandmother,” he said, feeling his heart both race and break at the confirmation that this was very much his mess to deal with.

“So, it would appear that this is the item missing from your inheritance,” the man beside him said, and Kyungsoo nodded again, feeling a heavy pressure in his chest.

“She gave it to my mother on her wedding day,” he confirmed.

“Then the power of this box belongs to your family,” the man across from him said. “I suggest you find the key before your rival does.”

“One more thing,” the man with the glasses said, “this box has a twin.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo said. “I’ve met the family that has it.”

“Only by two generations,” the man nodded. “As in your family, prior to that, both boxes belonged to other families. It may interest you to know that both boxes, as they are twins, would have twin keys.”

Kyungsoo’s heart raced, and then too many thoughts came into his mind that he couldn’t keep them straight.

“The owner of Hae Corp knows that box belonged to my family,” Kyungsoo thought out loud. “So, he’s probably under the impression that I have the key.”

“A good theory,” the man beside him said with an encouraging smile.

“But the Park family could have the key already,” Kyungsoo kept theorizing.

“Also, a good theory,” the man with the glasses said, looking supportive as well.

“Does he know he could use the same key?” Kyungsoo asked them.

“Would you believe,” the man across from him said with a mischievous smirk, the first time he had shown any emotion outside of his professional demeanor, “that he’s never thought to ask?”

Kyungsoo smirked as well, but his was based on relief instead of confidence. There was something that Mr. Hae hadn’t figured out yet, and that could very well be the only thing Kyungsoo had to his benefit.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said, thinking again, and then he said, “If I find the key, then I should be able to obtain the box. So I just have to look for some sort of thing or non-thing that would be a key for a haunted jewelry box.”

“And what will you do when you find it and obtain it?” The man across from him asked.

“I’m going to destroy it,” Kyungsoo said without hesitation. “I have to. If it really holds that kind of power, then it has no business existing.”

The man smiled at him and nodded, and Kyungsoo looked at the other two men to see them doing the same.

“Whatever information you may need in order to help you on that quest,” the man with the glasses said, “please let us know, so that we may help you.”

“We may not have been entirely honest with your rival,” the man beside him then said. “The truth should only ever be fully told to those who truly deserve it.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo said, bowing his head to them both. “Thank you,” he said again. “I need all the help I can get.”

“And you will have it,” the man across from him said. “Might I even suggest someone to you that may be of service?”

“Yes, please,” Kyungsoo said expectantly.

The man gave him a phone number, which Kyungsoo typed into his phone, and then the man explained, “That is the number of a very talented parapsychologist.”

“I will call him immediately,” Kyungsoo stated, and the men all chuckled.

The man with the glasses then said with a twinkle in his eyes, “You’re in for a surprise.”

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure how to take that, but he thanked the men, bowing several times to them and shaking their hands. As he left, he caught a glimpse of the librarian as she smiled at him and nodded.

He called the number as soon as he got outside, glancing around for any sign of a luxury car or evil bodyguard.

The voice that greeted him was that of a female, and as he explained that he was looking for the parapsychologist that had been recommended to him by the man at the library, he soon learned why the men had told him he was in for a surprise.

“Are you at the library?” she asked him.

“I am.”

“There’s a Caffé Bene two blocks down if you don’t mind meeting me there in twenty minutes.”

“I’ll be there in twenty,” he told her.

And then he was in for even more of a surprise when he expected a woman that looked like the librarian and instead got a version of her that was much younger.

“You can stop gaping at any time,” she told him, sitting across from him at the table. He had been waiting for her with a coffee that he had ordered just to have ordered something so that he could sit there.

“I’m sorry,” he said, taking in how incredibly young she looked. She was stunning, though not in a sophisticated way. Instead she was stunning in a way that would best be described as cute, which is why the only think Kyungsoo could think to say was, “It’s just I was expecting…”

“A man?”

“Someone older?” Kyungsoo said, taking note of her accent when she spoke English, which was not of the American variety. “Like, how old are you? 12?”

“Funny, I was thinking the same,” she said, crossing her arms. She then looked at him and said, “I was going to say you look about 10.”

“I do not look that young,” Kyungsoo said, ready to throw a full on tantrum.

“So how old are you, _dongsaeng_?” She gave him a challenging look, one that reminded him of the man sitting across from him at the library.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, not taking it lightly that she really thought he was younger than her, “first of all, you can call me, Kyungsoo, and second of all, I happen to be 26. How old are you, the real _dongsaeng_?”

“That’s Jennie to you, and I’m 23, but it’s clear I’m the more mature one,” she said, relaxing her arms and crossing her leg over the other. “So, why did my grandfather send you to me?”

“Your grand…,” Kyungsoo paused to let that process, now knowing why her challenging look reminded him of the researcher’s. “Huh, he left out that detail.”

“Was it important?” she asked, her eyebrow raised, and he really couldn’t get over how young she looked. It kept tripping up his thoughts, like having to stop and consider if he could curse in front of her.

“It may have made this less awkward,” Kyungsoo mused. “What is your accent exactly?”

“I went to school in New Zealand.”

“Ah, that would explain it. It’s adorable.”

“Stop mocking me,” she told him with a clear warning in her eyes.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, putting his hands up, “I did mean it as a compliment.”

“Sure you did,” she nodded, as if knowing better. “So, again, what do you need from me?”

Kyungsoo let out a huge sigh and said, “I should probably start from the beginning. You might want to go grab a coffee.”

Jennie looked at him for a moment, as if assessing the validity of his claim, and then got up to order herself a coffee.

***

Kyungsoo arrived to Jongin’s, as he had been instructed to by Baekhyun, who had let him know that Jongdae had been released from the hospital and they were going to celebrate. He was let into the apartment by Jongin, who hugged him with a big smile and handed him a party hat.

“Really?” Kyungsoo asked, and Jongin laughed and told him to just put it on.

Kyungsoo did not. Instead he toed off his sneakers at the entrance and held the party hat in his hand, walking into the living room where music played while Baekhyun tried to do some dance.

“Your hips make you look like you can dance even when you can’t,” Irene told him, and Kyungsoo smiled at the sight of her.

“Hey, you’re back,” he said, walking over to her.

Irene smiled and got up from the couch to give him a hug, “I am. And I have an update for you guys, but Jongin said to wait for the cake first.”

“I wasn’t even really hurt, and I get a cake,” Jongdae said from where he sat. “You guys are nuts.”

“That’s why you love us,” Irene told him, patting his knee as she sat back down beside him.

Kyungsoo sat on the other side of Jongdae, looking at his head and wanting to rub it for him, but thinking that might make it feel worse, so instead he put his hand on the back of his neck, giving it a light massage.

“Do you really feel okay?” Kyungsoo asked him, worry still present in his tone.

“I feel fine,” Jongdae said. “More than fine. Really. It’s going to take more than a strong, angry demon to take me out.”

“Plus, you have Yixing,” Baekhyun said pointing to the angel and moving his hips from side to side. Yixing watched him with amusement and fondness. “He’s a guardian angel, so he can protect you too.”

“I think we have different guardian angels, but thanks anyway?” Jongdae said.

“Yours is excellent,” Yixing let him know, and Jongdae beamed.

“What about mine?” Irene asked. “Why have you never told us before about our guardian angels?”

“Yours is also excellent,” Yixing let her know.

Jongin and Kyungsoo raised their eyebrows at him.

“All guardian angels are excellent,” Yixing then said with a peaceful smile, and Irene threw a napkin at him.

“Rude,” she said. “I thought you were telling us something important. You’re just being diplomatic.”

Yixing looked confused by the napkin being thrown at him, and Kyungsoo found it funny enough to chuckle.

After pizza and beer had been devoured, Jongin brought out a chocolate cake that looked like a cute puppy, and they all cooed at it before Jongin cut it apart and handed slices out to everyone.

“Okay, start spilling everything,” Jongin said to Irene, sitting on his armchair and digging into his slice.

“I witnessed nothing,” Irene said, and Kyungsoo’s hopes fell.

“You spent three days at this hotel and you got nothing?” Jongin asked to clarify.

“I didn’t say that. I said that I witnessed nothing,” she said, using her fork for emphasis, “which was odd. But then it made sense. After all, if Mr. Hae is the head of the entire Hae Corp, then why would he be conducting business affairs at one of his little hotels or even visiting it really? He has tons of companies all over the world, and the headquarters are nowhere near the hotel, so it makes sense that he has no real need to visit it. In fact, all it really proves is that he’s been tracking you, probably since the moment you got to Seoul. Then you walked into one of his properties, he probably got alerted to it, and then made his way there in record time to make sure and confront you.”

“What I’m getting out of this,” Jongin said, using his fork now to point at her, “is that you could have told us this earlier, but decided to take a nice three-day vacation at a hotel away from us. I see how you are.”

“They did have a really nice spa,” Irene mentioned, “But no, I wanted to make sure and give him the chance to show up. Either way, I started wondering why the spirit told you ‘samjogo’ if nothing really happens there.”

Kyungsoo was wondering that himself and wished she’d get to the point.

Irene ate another piece of her cake then continued, “So, here I am walking around the hotel, trying to figure it out. Why this hotel? What was this spirit trying to tell you? And then I found myself staring at the mural in the lobby, the one with the samjogo bird and the sun, and that’s when something clicked. The samjogo has three legs. I looked all around me at all the other samjogos. I went to the café, went to the fountain sitting area, even the swimming pool had samjogos painted around, and they all had three legs.”

“It’s a three-legged bird,” Jongdae nodded. “We already found that out when we were there.”

“Right, but what if the spirit wasn’t trying to get you to go to a hotel?” Irene said to Kyungsoo. “What if he was telling you who killed him?”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, looking surprised.

“Are you saying he was killed by a three-legged bird?” Baekhyun said, sitting on the floor and cutting himself another piece of cake, already having obliterated his first slice.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Irene deadpanned, and Baekhyun laughed, knowing he was being annoying.

“What are you saying?” Kyungsoo said, needing her to spill it.

“I started doing research into the Samjogo Hotel itself, and what I discovered was that it was a joint venture between three companies, Hae Corp, Taeyang Enterprises, and a lesser known company called SamSa Group.”

“Wait, Kyungsoo said,” feeling a small leap in his chest.

“Yep,” Irene nodded, “The very Taeyang Enterprises that is run by Chanyeol’s father.”

“Chanyeol told me that his father hated Mr. Hae. And this sounds like the reason why,” Kyungsoo told them.

“Interesting,” Baekhyun said, “Taeyang is a more technical Korean word for ‘sun.’ That’s so cute. Hae and Taeyang. Aw, I wish we had known. We could’ve called Chanyeol’s dad Mr. Taeyang instead. And we could have called them both Mr. Suns.”

“There’s nothing cute about this,” Irene said. “The SamSa Group were the creative visionaries behind the hotel, and both Hae and Taeyang reached out to them to provide more capital. Then, one day, the CEO of SamSa dies of unknown causes, and guess who ended up taking ownership of the hotel?”

“Hae and Taeyang,” Jongin said, nodding as he followed along.

“Close,” Irene said. “Hae did. Taeyang got iced out completely.”

“How did he manage that?” Jongin asked, looking as if he couldn’t make sense of it.

“SamSa’s will left his shares to Hae,” Irene answered.

“Yeah, that didn’t involve blackmail or anything,” Jongdae snorted.

“So…” Baekhyun said, finishing the piece of cake in his mouth, “are you saying that Mr. Hae killed Mr. SamSa to get control of everything?”

“That’s what it seems like,” Irene shrugged, “but none of this explains the biggest question I had after all my research.”

“Which was?” Jongin asked, looking as if something bothered him.

“If the SamSa CEO’s spirit was in a Taeyang building, then doesn’t that mean he was probably killed there?”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Mr. Hae could’ve killed him there to try and frame Mr. Park,” he thought out loud.

“Mr. SamSa didn’t seem to like Mr. Park too much either,” Jongdae pointed out, “from the short interactions I had with his spirit, plus Sehun’s account.”

“So Mr. Park killed him?” Baekhyun asked, looking a bit lost and dragging his finger through the frosting on the plate so he could eat it.

“Maybe they both did,” Jongdae said, “and maybe Mr. Park has Chanyeol hanging out with you because he’s scared you might found out the truth.”

“Maybe,” Kyungsoo said, but now he was doubly confused. He had thought this was all about a box, but now there was a murder in the mix and he had no idea what to think of it. Except that meant that Mr. Hae was probably serious about killing him if he didn’t complete the poltergeist task, which then meant that his friends were in serious danger as well. He realized that he had to use this as a segue to tell his friends what he needed to, so he put his half-eaten cake back on the coffee table and addressed them. “Thank you for finding all this out, but I think we have to stop looking into all of this.”

“Here we go,” Jongdae said, looking up in annoyance.

Kyungsoo gave Jongdae a pleading look, and then looked at everyone else.

“Now there’s murder involved,” Kyungsoo said. “This is all too dangerous, and everyone needs to go home and stop looking into it.”

“Sure,” Jongin said with a snort, crossing his arms and his right leg over his left knee, “buy a ticket and board a plane, and I’ll join you.”

Kyungsoo knew this wouldn’t be easy, but he had to at least try.

“I’m serious,” he said, imploring them with his eyes. “I can handle this. I have a plan.”

“What’s the plan?” Jongdae asked.

“I can’t tell you the plan,” Kyungsoo tried to play off.

“Because there is no plan,” Baekhyun said, picking up Kyungsoo’s slice to finish it off for him.

“There is a plan,” Kyungsoo stated, a bit more firmly, “and I’ve recruited some people in the area to help.”

“So, you want to send the best of the best home,” Irene said, looking dubious, “and use locals who may or may not really know what they’re doing?”

“Your plan sounds dumb,” Baekhyun said, holding the plate out to everyone as if asking if anyone wanted seconds, and when no one did, he dug in.

“This is my issue, my mess, and my plan. You guys aren’t part of it. Pack up and go home,” Kyungsoo stated.

Jongin studied him for a moment, probably sensing that he wasn’t telling the whole truth. Kyungsoo looked down at his knees, finding a piece of lint on his jeans to pick off.

“I don’t think anyone here plans on leaving while you’re here doing this,” Jongin then said. “We’ll keep looking into things, and when the time comes, you can decide if keeping us out of it is what you really want.”

He’d have to accept that for now, and he rubbed his forehead then stood up.

“I’m going to head out. Chanyeol should be contacting me soon with whatever he found out from his father today.”

“Make sure and share with the class what you find out,” Irene said, as if daring him to truly leave them out of everything.

Kyungsoo nodded at her, then looked at Jongdae. “Rest up, okay? I know you’re doing great, but you still need rest.”

“I’ll rest better when I know you’re not going to do anything stupid without us,” Jongdae told him.

Kyungsoo sighed and nodded, then left, knowing he had to come up with a solution to make sure everyone came out of this just fine.

***

Chanyeol showed up to Kyungsoo’s place with dinner, but unfortunately not with much more.

“It didn’t go well,” Chanyeol said, mixing his rice and meat around a little harder than he probably needed to. “He spent most of the time berating me and calling me dumb.”

“That’s so…” Kyungsoo looked annoyed for him. “You have like a hundred college degrees, and he’s going to call you dumb? What’s his problem?”

“He said, and I quote, ‘You only need to know what I tell you since you can barely even do what I ask,’ end quote.”

“Why is your father like this?” Kyungsoo asked, finding himself not able to eat because he felt worried about Chanyeol.

“My father thinks he’s the only important person in the world and that everyone else is beneath him,” Chanyeol said, still mixing food that no longer needed to be mixed. “Especially me.”

Kyungsoo took the container out of Chanyeol’s hands and set it on the floor between them.

“That’s your father’s issue, not yours,” Kyungsoo told him. “You know you’re great, right? You’re so smart, and kind, and really great at Guitar Hero.”

Chanyeol looked a little bashful by the compliments, but then he said, “Thanks. You’re great, too.”

“I’m…actually not,” Kyungsoo said.

“Did you and your father get along?” Chanyeol asked him.

“We did,” Kyungsoo said, a fond warmth taking over him at memories he tried to not think too much about in order to keep control over his emotions. “My dad wasn’t always around,” Kyungsoo then decided to explain. “He worked late a lot or was always off at some business thing or another. My mom worked a lot too, but she managed to be around more. My dad… Well, his ambitions were something your father would have probably approved of. But, I can say that I was lucky that he didn’t let that interfere with being a good father to me.”

“So not the type to attend your baseball games, but the type to pat your head when he came home every now and then for dinner,” Chanyeol interpreted.

“Something like that,” Kyungsoo nodded. “He would apologize to me every now and then for not being around more. And he’d always say, ‘You know I love you, right?’ Like he knew he wasn’t necessarily showing it and had to make sure I wasn’t hating him for it.”

“Did you hate him for it?” Chanyeol asked, raising his knees up and wrapping his long arms around his legs.

“No,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head to affirm his answer. “I loved my dad a lot. I mean, I still do. It’s not like I’ve stopped loving him just because he’s not here anymore.” Kyungsoo thought about one of the last times he had seen him, the memory not a great one. “Your parents were arranged. So were mine. Like your parents, my parents didn’t really love each other. They would fight all the time, argue about the business, argue about what was right for me, argue about…each other. Mostly each other. I kept waiting for them to get divorced, but the business was more important to the both of them, so they put up with each other to run it.”

“Or they put up with each other for you,” Chanyeol pointed out.

“Maybe that was a small part of it,” Kyungsoo said, and he shrugged. “No way to know now.”

“How did they die?” Chanyeol then asked, looking at Kyungsoo with sympathy.

“Car accident,” Kyungsoo said, hoping he could keep his emotions back as he answered. “It literally happened as they were pulling out of our driveway. I was in the kitchen, making myself a sandwich, and…” Kyungsoo shook his head. He couldn’t. He felt the hairs on his neck stand, and he closed his eyes, lifted his knees, and ducked his head between them.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol said, scooting over to him and putting his hand on the side of Kyungsoo’s leg. “I’m sorry I asked.”

“No, don’t be,” Kyungsoo said, taking a couple of deep breaths and then looking up at Chanyeol. “How did your mom die?”

“Brain aneurism,” Chanyeol said, his own eyes dropping. “It came out of nowhere, and they didn’t get her to the hospital in time.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kyungsoo said.

“It was her time, right? That’s how it works?”

Kyungsoo nodded.

“I hope the reaper that took her had a cute cat. She would have liked that.”

Kyungsoo reached out to run his thumb under Chanyeol’s eye where a bit of moistness existed, even though he had fought hard to keep the tears back. Kyungsoo could feel the same moistness in his own eyes, and he let out a half laugh.

“Why are we doing this to ourselves?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, breaking into a little smile.

They chuckled and focused again on trying to eat, even though they ate slower than usual, both still a bit consumed by their own emotional thoughts.

“Well, if it helps you any,” Kyungsoo said, trying to get back to the original topic, “we found out why your dad hates Hae Corp.”

Kyungsoo filled him in on what Irene had told them, and Chanyeol’s eyes kept widening at each new piece of information, then returned to their normal state once Kyungsoo had finished.

“Wow,” Chanyeol said, “I knew my dad was ruthless, but I never thought he’d kill someone.”

“He might not have,” Kyungsoo told him. “It’s just, since it happened in his building, it points to him. But it’s not like Mr. Hae couldn’t have been there too and done it.”

Chanyeol nodded, then softly said, “I hope it was Mr. Hae that did it.”

“I hope so too,” Kyungsoo said, meaning it, not wanting Chanyeol to have to experience more negativity when it came to his dad.

And then he thought about what he had learned at the library that day, and he carefully treaded into territory that would be able to be used against him if Chanyeol was loyal enough to his dad to tell him. But as he watched Chanyeol eat his food, Kyungsoo felt deep down inside, that it was worth the risk.

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said, his voice careful, “the reason Mr. Hae is looking for me is because he stole something from my family.”

Chanyeol watched him while eating his food, his cheeks full and eyes big.

“It’s an antique box. And he stole it because he believes it’s a haunted object. He believes that the spirit inside of it will grant him power and riches.”

“That sounds stupid,” Chanyeol mentioned after swallowing.

“It does, but it’s true,” Kyungsoo said, biting his lip for a moment, then continuing. “The box has a twin. And that other box is owned by your father. He keeps it in a warehouse with all the other antiques he’s collected.”

“He didn’t collect them,” Chanyeol said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “They belonged to my mom. She had inherited the antiques from her father who was an avid collector.”

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding, then said, “I’m going to find the box that Mr. Hae stole from my family, and when I do, I’m going to destroy it. No one should have the power that it gives. So I have to.”

Chanyeol looked thoughtful as he stared at him.

“So I should destroy the one my father has?” Chanyeol wondered, now looking a little confused.

“That’s entirely up to you, but I thought you should know that these boxes is what this is all about. Like you said, it’s stupid. But either way, if there’s any way you can find out if your father knows where Mr. Hae is keeping that box, that would really help me out. I don’t know if your father knows, but someone has to know, right?”

Chanyeol nodded, staying silent for a long moment, and Kyungsoo didn’t prod him, using that time to finally sit with his legs crossed again and continue eating his food.

“I’m not going to be able to find out anything from my dad,” Chanyeol finally said, once he was done with his food. He placed the empty container back in the brown paper bag. “But I think I know a way to find out more information.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a small smile.

Kyungsoo collected their trash to throw away, and Chanyeol sat on Kyungsoo’s bed, looking toward the monitors that were turned off.

“Are you sad we didn’t have a hunt?” Kyungsoo asked him as he walked over to the bed.

“A little,” Chanyeol admitted. “The last one was scary, but I like seeing you work. I really wish I had a job in all of this.”

“You do,” Kyungsoo reminded him, standing before him and running his fingers through the tall man’s hair. When Chanyeol sat on the bed, he was just the right height for Kyungsoo to play with better.

“No, a real job, with a cool title like medium and exorcist.”

“It’ll reveal itself,” Kyungsoo assured him, and Chanyeol snaked his hands around Kyungsoo’s waist.

“What if it doesn’t? What if I don’t have any talents?”

“It’s possible,” Kyungsoo said, getting lost in the curiosity of his eyes. “I don’t have a talent. I’m just a ghost hunter. My friends are the ones with gifts.”

“Oh no,” Chanyeol said with a small pout. “Does that mean if I don’t end up with a gift, you won’t be my friend?” He was teasing, and Kyungsoo loved that Chanyeol seemed to be less awkward and becoming more confident with him.

“I make exceptions every now and then,” Kyungsoo said coyly, “if the person’s hot enough.”

Chanyeol smirked and said nothing else. Kyungsoo bit his lip, also staying silent. But then Chanyeol slid one of his hands down and pinched his butt, causing Kyungsoo to startle and hop a little.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said.

“Say it,” Chanyeol replied.

“Oh, we’re doing this?” Kyungsoo said, and Chanyeol pinched it again.

Kyungsoo yelped and then laughed, hitting Chanyeol on his shoulder. “You know you’re hot enough. Why do I have to say it?”

Chanyeol chuckled, and Kyungsoo hit his chest this time, telling Chanyeol he was mean. But Chanyeol was anything but, and he pulled Kyungsoo into him even closer, tucking his head down to drop a kiss on Kyungsoo’s tummy.

Kyungsoo looked down at him, his fingers running through Chanyeol’s hair again, and his heart beat faster, his nerves rattling with excitement.

Chanyeol smiled up at him, and then the giant pulled him down on top of him as he fell back onto the bed. Kyungsoo stayed there, kissing him, and telling all the really rational thoughts in his head about how bad this was to go away.

He was successful enough in keeping his mind focused instead on kissing Chanyeol, and getting his clothes off him, being playful, though keeping the demons out tonight by not hurting each other and just attempting to one up each other on how much pleasure they could give the other.

They lay in each other’s arms that night, Kyungsoo spent and still gripping onto Chanyeol’s well-defined arms. Chanyeol showered him with more soft kisses, then said, “I wish…” and then he stopped himself.

Kyungsoo waited for him to complete his thought, but then he realized that Chanyeol had fallen asleep, and Kyungsoo gave him one more soft kiss and followed suit.

***

Even though Kyungsoo had told Jongin over the phone that Chanyeol hadn’t really found out much, Jongin still insisted that they both come over to do a briefing for everyone.

Chanyeol had driven to Kyungsoo’s place, so it was in his Mercedes SUV that they arrived at Jongin’s, after being let in by the gate guard and told to only park in spots marked for visitors.

They arrived to a lot of activity as Irene led the charge to the door and explained, “We’re going on a boba run.”

“What we’re sharing is really nothing,” Kyungsoo told her.

“That’s why we need the boba,” Baekhyun stated. “Plus, Dae didn’t have a headache this morning so I’m letting him pick out a special one. My treat.”

“Who am I to say ‘no’ to free boba?” Jongdae shrugged.

“Are you guys coming?” Irene asked them.

“I’m good,” Kyungsoo said, looking at Chanyeol, who shook his head and agreed that he would just stay.

“We’ll be right back,” Jongin said, closing the door behind him as they left.

Kyungsoo relished the sudden quiet in the spacious apartment, and he went straight to the couch to lie down, stretching his arms above his head. He couldn’t get over the good mood he was in, or at least the very spoiled and pampered mood courtesy of his night spent with Chanyeol.

“We have the place all to ourselves,” Kyungsoo joked. “Let’s blast the music and raid the fridge.”

“Now I know what kind of teenager you were,” Chanyeol said with a small laugh, taking a moment to look out the windows at the view, “throwing parties while your parents were out of town.”

“If only. I was a nerdy teenager, usually reading or watching a scary movie while they were gone.”

Chanyeol looked over at him, as if assessing how true that could be, then walked over to him. He moved Kyungsoo’s legs a little to sit on the couch, and then moved them so they were across his lap.

Kyungsoo had both watched and let him do this, amused and finding Chanyeol endearing all over again. It was a problem. He knew it was. If last night had shown him anything, it was that he liked Chanyeol’s presence and found some comfort in it, though what exactly he found so comforting about Chanyeol he wasn’t sure yet.

“I like that image of you,” Chanyeol said to him, his hands resting comfortably on Kyungsoo’s shins. “Did you have glasses?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo admitted. “I don’t wear them often, but they exist.”

“Maybe that can be our next hunt,” Chanyeol said with a grin, “The search for your haunted nerdy glasses.”

“And when we find them, they’ll be heavily guarded by a vengeful spirit that will force us to take an eye exam before relinquishing them to us.”

“Oh, that’s really scary,” Chanyeol said with a light snort.

“Were you a nerdy teenager?” Kyungsoo asked, considering him. “You were alone a lot, playing video games, so I’m guessing you fit the stereotype.”

“I fit the stereotype in every way possible,” Chanyeol nodded. “I was so awkward. I still don’t know how I made it through school.”

“Same,” Kyungsoo said. “I was so ready to be done with school. I didn’t even want to go to college but my parents made me.”

“I found college more bearable,” Chanyeol said, running a hand from Kyungsoo’s knee to his ankle, and then back, almost absently, as if he was just doing it to do something and didn’t realize the little jolts of excitement it sent through Kyungsoo’s body.

“College turned out okay,” Kyungsoo agreed, pushing himself up to look at Chanyeol better from a sitting position. “I met Baek in college, so it served a purpose.”

“I wish I had made a good friend in college,” Chanyeol said, giving him a side glance and a little smile. “I know it’s my own fault that I didn’t let people get too close, but still. I wouldn’t have minded meeting a medium and going ghost hunting with him.”

“If only you had known it was a possibility,” Kyungsoo said, watching as Chanyeol’s fingers snuck under the hem of his jeans to softly graze his ankle.

“If only,” Chanyeol nodded, not looking at him.

“Like how you now know that this is a possibility,” Kyungsoo then told him, and Chanyeol looked over at him, curious and not quite understanding.

Kyungsoo decided that actions made more sense than words, and he shifted his body so that he sat on Chanyeol’s lap, facing him. Chanyeol looked both surprised and amused by the action, but let his hands settle onto Kyungsoo’s hips just the same, while Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and stared into his eyes.

“If you wanted to, you could let people get close,” Kyungsoo explained. “Anything is possible.”

“Have you always been this forward?” Chanyeol asked him instead, while one of his hands ran up the side of his torso.

“Yes,” Kyungsoo told him. “My parents were go-getters, so I think I got it from them.”

Chanyeol chuckled at that and held onto Kyungsoo’s side for a moment, letting his fingers squeeze just enough to make Kyungsoo want more.

He wanted to ask him about last night, about what he was going to say to him when he had started to say, “I wish.” Was it that he wished they were a possibility? Was it that he wished they had met sooner? Was it that he wished they could have more nights of ghost hunting and post-hunt sex after?

But he didn’t ask him. Instead, Kyungsoo leaned in to kiss Chanyeol, to maybe inspire him to consider the possibilities, and to maybe consider why he felt the need to kiss him whenever he could. He couldn’t deny that something had shifted between them at some point, or maybe it had just shifted for Kyungsoo, but something told him that Chanyeol may have felt it too.

Or maybe he was making it all up, and he only felt all this attraction toward Chanyeol because he was a lead. Maybe if Chanyeol hadn’t been a lead, Kyungsoo wouldn’t have felt anything toward him at all. He reminded himself that he had only known him for a handful of days, but then Chanyeol deepened their kiss, pulling him closer to him, and Kyungsoo thought that kissing Chanyeol felt like he had known him for a lifetime.

Somewhere, in the back of Kyungsoo’s mind, he knew that making out in Jongin’s place was not his brightest idea. But he figured that everyone wouldn’t be back for at least half an hour, considering they’d have to get to the place, and then figure out what they wanted, and then order everything, and then wait for it to be made, and then come back. So knowing they had a good chunk of time to play with, Kyungsoo took the initiative to take his shirt off, Chanyeol following his lead as they kissed each other harder and tugged at each other’s pants.

Just as Chanyeol had unbuttoned Kyungsoo’s jeans, Kyungsoo heard a noise and stopped what he was doing, his heart pounding in both desire and the sudden fear that what he had heard had been the door.

He heard footsteps, quick and with purpose, and he pushed himself off Chanyeol and said, “Shit,” as he looked for his shirt, finding Chanyeol’s first and tossing it to him.

“What?” Chanyeol asked confused, and just as Kyungsoo had found his shirt to tug it on, he heard Jongdae’s voice.

“I fucking knew it.”

Kyungsoo froze, then slowly turned around, looking at Jongdae’s furious and, worse, hurt face.

Jongin stood next to Jongdae, looking between them with his mouth partially open, like he needed to say something to help, but didn’t know what.

“Dae…” Kyungsoo began, but he had no words. He had nothing to say. He didn’t know what to say. What could he possibly say at that particular moment that wouldn’t sound like a cliché?

“So, I’m guessing this means that we were broken up, right?” Jongdae said, keeping his voice steady. “Like, I can move on with my life because we’re no longer together? Or is this you cheating on me? Which is it?”

There was no patience in Jongdae’s voice, and Kyungsoo felt like every part of him was numb. Except for his heart, which he was pretty sure was about to beat out of his chest.

“Wait, what?” Chanyeol said, still sitting on the couch and looking very confused. And then, as if things couldn’t get possibly worse, Chanyeol pointed at Jongin and said, “I thought you were hooking up with him.”

Kyungsoo shook his hands, only half-heartedly, realizing there was no point in trying to get Chanyeol to stop speaking.

“What?” Jongdae said, looking at Jongin, who was also rendered speechless as he looked down. “Oh my God,” Jongdae said, looking as if he wanted to yell, “how long has this been going on?”

“It’s not…” Jongin began, but Jongdae wasn’t having it.

“It’s not what I think?” Jongdae asked him, and Jongin looked back down.

Jongdae turned his hurt gaze to Kyungsoo, who still hadn’t said anything because he knew that anything he said wouldn’t be the right thing at the moment.

“Are you going to say anything?” Jongdae asked him.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo said.

“You’re sorry?” Jongdae asked, as if he wanted to laugh in Kyungsoo’s face because he had just said the stupidest thing he could have said. “You always said that you didn’t want to be like your father, and yet here you are.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, “No. No this isn’t.. I didn’t…”

“I don’t care,” Jongdae cut him off again. “I don’t. You’ve been wanting me gone since I got here. I should’ve listened to you then, but here I was stupid enough to believe that you still loved me when instead you obviously didn’t and weren’t man enough to tell me to my face.”

“That’s not true,” Kyungsoo said, taking a step toward him as an unexpected tear fell down his face. Kyungsoo wiped it away furiously. “That’s not what happened.”

“That has to be what happened, otherwise you’ve been cheating on me with…” Jongdae looked at Jongin, and then at Chanyeol, and then back at Kyungsoo, “I don’t even know how many people.”

“No, I… This isn’t that,” Kyungsoo tried again, not knowing how to fix this.

“It is that,” Jongdae said again. “I’m buying a plane ticket and heading back home. I’m finally going to move on with my life, and you don’t ever have to worry about calling me again because I promise you, I won’t pick up. You’re too shitty of a person to have ended it, so I’ll do it for us instead. I’m done. We’re done,” Jongdae said, and then he looked at Chanyeol. “Just so you know, he’ll only use you until the next hot guy comes along, so enjoy it while it lasts.”

Kyungsoo wanted to be swallowed by a hole, but first he needed Jongdae to not leave so he could listen to him. However, he couldn’t get his feet to move when Jongdae left, and Jongin looked toward the direction of the hallway, where Kyungsoo could very clearly hear the voices of Baekhyun and Irene asking Jongdae if he was alright. Kyungsoo felt even more humiliated knowing his friends had overheard all of it.

He then looked at Chanyeol, who looked confused and pensive.

“It makes sense that you’re just using me,” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo shook his head, not needing this on top of everything else.

“No, I wasn’t,” Kyungsoo said.

“Sure,” Chanyeol said, clearly not believing him in the slightest. He stood up and said, “I think I should go as well.”

“This isn’t what it seems,” Kyungsoo tried to say, but even he knew that it was a half lie. But the situation was so complicated that no explanation seemed to work for it.

“I think it is,” Chanyeol said instead, and he looked directly at him and said. “You need to figure your shit out.”

And then Chanyeol left as well.

Kyungsoo stood in the living room stunned, trying to process that any of this had actually happened. He had hurt Jongdae. He had hurt Chanyeol. And he had hurt Jongin too.

And now he was hurting as the realization settled in that he had really lost Jongdae.

Jongin walked to him and said, “It’ll be okay.”

“It won’t be okay,” Kyungsoo said, staring at him and probably conveying the sadness and panic he suddenly felt due to what had happened.

“It will be,” Jongin said. “Just…give it all time to settle.”

“I fucked up so bad,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “I’m such a bad person.”

“No, you’re not,” Jongin told him, his face showing compassion that Kyungsoo didn’t deserve in this moment. “Everyone makes mistakes. You’re just human.”

But Kyungsoo couldn’t process those words, all he kept thinking was that he had lost Jongdae, and he had hurt the man who had been there to hold him and assure him that everything would be fine after his parents had died.

“We were just about to get in the car,” Jongin then said when Kyungsoo had stayed quiet for too long, “when Jongdae stopped and looked back. And then he told us to go without him. I sensed something wasn’t right, so I followed him, letting him back into the building since he didn’t have the key. I tried to ask him in the elevator what was wrong, but he just kept saying he had forgotten something. But…I think he knew. I think he knew and had to see it for himself.”

Kyungsoo made some pathetic sound because he couldn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. What was he supposed to do now? He had ruined everything. He had lost one of his closest friends. He had lost his boyfriend. He had lost his exorcist. He had lost someone who believed in him. And on top of that, he had also lost their best lead. Only he could fuck up that badly, and his heart wrenched in pain.

“Why don’t you go lie down for a bit?” Jongin then said, realizing that he was not going to be responsive right now.

The idea made his stomach spin. The last time he had laid in the guestroom bed had been with Jongdae, assuring him that after this was all over they’d go back to normal. Now there’d be no normal. Now they wouldn’t go back to anything. Now he would never see Jongdae again, and Kyungsoo let some tears fall.

Jongin let him cry, and at some point he left him to do so

He heard the sounds of his friends returning to the apartment coming from the hallway. Kyungsoo could overhear them, even though they kept trying to be quiet, and the guilt intensified all over again as Jongin asked them how Jongdae was. Baekhyun told him that he was upset and insisted on being alone, so they had let him leave.

Kyungsoo wondered how he could even face his friends again, feeling too ashamed and knowing that they had to be judging him for hurting Jongdae.

And then, on top of everything else, Jongdae had thrown his father in his face. Kyungsoo didn’t deserve to feel hurt, but he did anyway, wishing he could explain to Jongdae that it really hadn’t been the same situation at all.

Kyungsoo had been in middle school when he had figured out that part of the reason his father didn’t come home at night was because he had been cheating on his mother. He had caught his parents arguing about it, his mother throwing clothes at him and yelling at him to have his whores do his laundry instead.

As Kyungsoo got older, he felt he understood it better, realizing that his parents had no deep feelings for each other and they probably needed to feel something, even if it was in the arms of another person. He always tried to not hold it against his father, nor his mother, when she started having affairs of her own as retribution.

But deep down inside, even if Jongdae had been hurt enough to throw it in his face, he knew this was not that. He hadn’t thought he had been cheating on Jongdae. He had thought he had pulled enough away from Jongdae that he had lost him. Kyungsoo had needed a replacement, and Jongin had been there for him, and…

He was a horrible person.

Chanyeol was right. He needed to figure his shit out. But where would he even start?

“Hey,” Jongin said, returning to him and putting his hand on his shoulder. “Soo, lie down for a bit, okay?”

“I have to go,” Kyungsoo said instead. “I can’t stay here.”

“I’m not so sure you should be alone right now,” Jongin said.

“Alone is exactly what I deserve to be,” Kyungsoo said, and he could hear the lifeless tone of his own voice. And then he placed his hands on his own cheeks as the weight of everything settled in all over again. “Holy shit,” he said to himself, “Holy shit.”

“It’ll be okay,” Jongin told him again, looking worried.

It wouldn’t be. How could it be? And then Kyungsoo remembered why he had pulled away from Jongdae in the first place, and he needed to get out of there before new tears spilled. He hurried to the doorway, almost forgetting to put his sneakers back on before exiting.

“Soo, let me call you an Uber,” Jongin told him, holding his arm to keep him in place as he tapped on his phone.

Kyungsoo let him, knowing that he didn’t have the mind right now to do anything, much less get himself to where he was going. He couldn’t think, but at the same time, too many thoughts were in his head.

Jongin walked him down to the lobby and made sure he got into the car, Kyungsoo feeling so dazed that he couldn’t even remember going down in the elevator.

On the car ride, Kyungsoo stared out the window, at the passing buildings and cars of a completely normal and ordinary day that had turned into one of the worst of his life.

What was he supposed to do? How did he move forward from this? How would he look any of his friends in the eyes again?

Once home, he crawled into his bed, feeling useless and worthless, and he looked at Jongdae’s picture on his phone, and then he texted him.

_I’m so sorry. Dae, I’m sorry. Please let’s talk about this._

_Dae, I do love you. I need to talk to you._

_This isn’t fair. Please talk to me._

_How did I fuck this up so royally?_

_Dae, I can’t stop crying._

_Please just text me back and say we can meet up and talk._

_I deserve this. I’m so sorry._

_I’m so sad. I miss you._

_I don’t care if you don’t believe me, but I love you._

_Dae, text me okay? Just text me._

Kyungsoo’s phone rang, and Baekhyun’s face popped up onto his screen. Kyungsoo ignored the call.

Then Baekhyun called again, and Kyungsoo ignored it again.

When Baekhyun called a third time, Kyungsoo answered and said, “I can’t talk right now.”

“I know, but you have to stop texting Dae,” Baekhyun said. “He told me that he’s blocking you, so, you know…if you don’t stop anyway, it won’t matter, but just the same, stop. For your own sanity.”

Kyungsoo hung up without saying anything and cried into his pillow, holding it tight and not having the energy to do anything else but fall asleep.

***

He had no intentions of getting out of bed, and as the sun rays cast their warmth over his face, Kyungsoo covered his eyes with his arm and stayed where he was, realizing that the nightmare of the previous day had been reality.

Kyungsoo heard several knocks on his door at some point, and when he did nothing about it, he heard Jongin say, “Soo, open up. I’m not leaving.”

It took all the energy he possessed to drag himself out of bed and walk the short steps to the door, opening it and shuffling to his bed to crawl back under his blanket.

He could hear the sound of bags in the kitchen, and then the fridge door opening and closing, then he felt the bed shift a little and a tender hand on his arm.

“I’m going to make sure you eat today,” Jongin said.

His best friend said nothing after, knowing that it wouldn’t matter what he said. He just rubbed Kyungsoo’s arm comfortingly until Kyungsoo went back to sleep.

When he woke up again, he found Jongin at his desk, his head propped up by his hand as he scrolled through his phone, tapping on it a few times, then scrolling again.

Kyungsoo got up and shuffled to the bathroom to pee, and then he came back out and stared at Jongin and told him, “You don’t have to stay.”

“Irene’s a bit obsessed with the Taeyang-Hae-SamSa love triangle,” Jongin said, ignoring his sentiment and tapping some more on his phone. “That’s what she calls it. She was up early doing more research, and the articles at the time framed it as a suicide. He was found dead in the Taeyang building, but specifics of the case weren’t released to the public. It was left in a state of investigation, and then people moved on to other things and stopped caring.”

Kyungsoo blinked and blinked again, just looking at him.

Jongin sighed and put his phone down on the desk, turning his attention to Kyungsoo. “Yesterday sucked,” he nodded, “but we still have to take down five poltergeists, and now we have to do it without our exorcist and without any new information from Mr. Park’s son. So, everyone’s been up early trying to rethink how to approach all this. Baek already put a call out to mediums in the area, and he’s meeting with several of them today to interview them and see if they’re qualified for a task this big. Irene’s doing research, and then she and Seulgi are going to stake out the site again to figure out logistics. Sehun’s been briefed on what happened, so he’s doing research on finding stronger spells that will work against poltergeists. Taemin asked what he could do, and I told him to keep an eye on the site and observe anything that might seem out of the ordinary.”

The guilt inside Kyungsoo multiplied by thousands, and he swallowed, knowing he didn’t deserve any of these people in his life. But Jongin’s point had been made, and Kyungsoo knew he was right. He had to focus on Mr. Hae’s request, and he had to make sure it got done in a way where no one lost their life. Focusing would be hard, but he bit his lip and thought about what he needed to do next.

_“If the box belonged to your grandmother, then you need to start with her,” Jennie had told him after he had explained everything to her._

_“That’s…” Kyungsoo had started to say, and then wasn’t sure how to explain. “My grandmother’s in a home. She’s not mentally well.”_

_“Is she not mentally well?” Jennie had asked him, “Or is her mind in tune with things that others don’t recognize?”_

He hadn’t understood what she had meant, but he had gotten the gist of her advice, which was to pay a visit to his grandmother.

“I have another lead,” Kyungsoo finally said. “I’ll go shower and head out.”

Jongin nodded at him, and Kyungsoo grabbed a change of clothes and went to his bathroom, looking at himself in his mirror once more, and trying to figure out how he had ruined everything so badly. He told himself he deserved nothing, and then he told himself that he owed everyone else everything, so he showered and got ready to visit a woman he hadn’t seen since his childhood.

***

Kyungsoo had turned down the offer from his aunt to join him, telling her that he didn’t want her to waste her time with what would probably be a short visit. He thanked her for the information of the home his grandmother was in and promised to stop by for dinner that night.

The place was bright, as if assuring the sterility of the mental home was of the utmost importance, and when Kyungsoo walked into the lounge area where his grandmother sat on a couch, he wished that she could be somewhere that felt warmer, more like a home. But his mother and his aunt had chosen this place because it was known not only for its excellent care, but also its kindness.

“_Annyeonhaseyo, halmonei_,” he said, moving a chair so he could sit in front of her. “It’s Kyungsoo, your grandson,” he tried to explain in his best Korean, mentioning his mother’s name and explaining he was her son, but the woman just smiled at him, and he wondered if she had even heard him.

“I’m here to see you. It’s been a long time.”

He remembered his grandmother lovingly, always making him treats and telling his mother to go easy on him when he threw a tantrum or did something he wasn’t supposed to. If grandmothers had a reputation for spoiling their grandchildren, then Kyungsoo’s grandmother had fit the stereotype, but even then he remembered that she didn’t always seem to be there with them mentally, even while she was there physically.

When his family had moved to the States, he would only see his grandmother on visits back to Korea with his parents, and each time he saw her, she would seem to be more far away. One time he had asked his mother what exactly was wrong with her, and she had said that she suffered from an early onset of dementia.

_“Is she not mentally well?” Jennie had asked him, “Or is her mind in tune with things that others don’t recognize?”_

“_Halmonei_,” he said, with a gentle tone, holding the woman’s hand in his and caressing it, “my mom said that you gave her a box on her wedding day. An antique brass jewelry box. Do you remember?”

The woman’s eyes showed a sign of something, something had registered, and she looked at him with more attention.

“I need to know about the box,” he said. “You gave it to my mother, and she wanted to give it to me.”

“He was the most beautiful man in the country,” she told him, and he had to make sure that he had heard her correctly. “I wonder where he is now,” she said, looking out the window wistfully.

“_Halmonei_, I need to know about the box. Did it have a key?”

“The flowers are so pretty. It must be spring. The flowers are here.”

Kyungsoo took a deep breath and watched her, not knowing what he was supposed to do. If she had answers, it didn’t seem he’d get them from her. But he knew that sometimes he needed to be patient, and just like with the old men in the library, he needed to ask the right questions.

“The flowers are very pretty,” he agreed. “Do they remind you of the most beautiful man in the country?”

“He’d bring me so many beautiful flowers,” she said, the smile on her face widening. “He was so handsome. So kind. So thoughtful.”

“Did you marry him? Are you talking about _halabeoji_?” Kyungsoo didn’t have very many memories of his grandfather, who had passed when he was very young. His mother and his aunt both correlated his passing with the declining mental health of their mother.

“No,” she said, looking startled. “His family would allow no such thing.” She looked at him as if he needed to understand this. “Nobles can’t marry commoners.”

“Huh,” Kyungsoo said, rather intrigued, “so he was a noble, and you were a commoner, and you loved each other, but his family wouldn’t allow him to marry you.”

“It’s not allowed,” she said, putting her finger up as if he needed to be quiet about this so no one could hear him.

“Did he… I know you said he gave you flowers. Did he also give you the jewelry box?”

His grandmother smiled again, and he thought that precious memories must have returned to her.

“It was so beautiful. I had to hide it so that no one would know,” she told him, conspiratorially.

“You had to hide it? Did he give you a reason for giving it to you? Did he tell you why?”

“Hm,” she said, looking a little lost again, and Kyungsoo waited with all the patience he had. “It was all he could give me. He had to marry someone else. But he gave me the box.”

“Did he say anything to you when he gave it to you?”

“Oh,” she said, looking surprised for a moment, “yes, it was very important that I hide it.”

“He told you that?”

“Yes, it was very important,” she reiterated. “Many people wanted that box, but he said that since he couldn’t marry me, he would give me his family’s precious box.”

“What was inside the box?” Kyungsoo tried, attempting to cover every angle.

“Nothing,” she said with a smile.

“Nothing that you could see?” he tried. “Was there something in the box that you couldn’t see?”

“You mean the spirit,” she nodded. “Of course. The spirit that would bring my family fortune and power. He wished for me to have it. He was so handsome.”

“He sounds handsome,” he said, trying to keep her thoughts with him. “So, how did the spirit give your family fortune and power?”

Her smile faded, and she seemed to get a little lost again. He squeezed her hand gently, and she appeared to refocus on him.

“How did the spirit give your family fortune and power? Did you have to summon the spirit using something?”

“He was so handsome,” she said again, looking out the window once more.

Kyungsoo bit his lip and watched her, thinking how weird it was that something so catastrophic had entered their lives simply because his grandmother couldn’t marry the man that she loved. He wondered if he could sue the country and their archaic social rules for all his stress.

He had lost her attention for good, so he squeezed her hand one last time and told her to be well and that he loved her very much.

She smiled at him and said nothing else.

He took a bus to get him back to the city center, and then hopped on a train headed to Hongdae, not sure what his next move needed to be. While it had been nice to hear a story from his grandmother, that he had to assume was true, it hadn’t really shed any light on what he was looking for or what could even be the key.

As he sat in the corner of the train, arms crossed and leaning his head against the wall, he had the sudden thought that his family was cursed to never marry someone they actually loved. Was that the price of this stupid box? It gave fortune and power, but it never allowed the owner to experience true love? How sad for his family. Although his aunt had managed to marry someone she loved, but then again, his aunt hadn’t been the one to receive the box on her wedding day.

He then wondered if it was the same for Chanyeol’s family. His had come from his mother as well, but from her father instead of her mother. Had he been given the box by a woman he had loved and couldn’t be with? Did this explain Chanyeol’s lonely existence? Did this explain Kyungsoo’s inability to hold onto the people he loved?

His phone vibrated, and he looked at it to see a message from Jongin asking where he was. Kyungsoo wanted to ignore it, but knowing Jongin, it was probably best to reply.

_Heading back home. My lead didn’t work out._

Jongin told him to come to his place instead, but the idea of having to be in the same room with the rest of his friends, if they were still his friends, seemed like the worst idea to him at the moment.

_I need to take a nap. Then I’m going to my aunt’s for dinner._

He replied and knew that Jongin would probably keep checking up on him, which was fine. Kyungsoo needed to feel that someone still cared about him, even if he didn’t deserve it.

Once he was back in his own bed, he tried calling Jongdae, only to find that his call went straight to voicemail. He had definitely blocked him, and Kyungsoo turned to his side and cried into his pillow all over again.

***

When he arrived at his aunt’s house later that night, she immediately noticed something was wrong, even though he had done his best to wash his face of any traces of spilled tears and swollen eyes.

“What happened?” she asked, ushering him toward the living room and away from the kitchen where he could hear the voices of his uncle and cousin.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he told her, trying to plaster on a smile.

“Did something happen at the home?”

“No,” he assured her. “It was nice to see her again after all this time. She still looks kinda the same.”

His aunt watched him and then, as if thinking she might know what the problem was, she pulled him into a tight hug and rubbed his back.

“I know it’s hard,” she told him. “Seeing her must have made you miss your mom very much.”

He didn’t say anything, and he also realized that she wasn’t entirely wrong. On top of everything else, he did miss his mom, thinking she would have been the one person who could have made him feel that everything wasn’t a lost cause.

He joined his uncle and cousin in the kitchen, giving them both hugs and asking if he could help.

“You can help by eating,” his uncle said, handing him a bowl of kalbi.

Kyungsoo tried very hard to keep a pleasant look on his face during dinner. Every time he caught himself drifting off in thought, he managed to realize it in time and tune back in, complimenting his aunt and uncle again on the amazing food and asking them how their day had been.

Once they had finished, Kyungsoo volunteered to help his cousin with the dishes while his aunt and uncle retired to the family room.

“So, what’s going on with you?” Hye-jin laid in as she rinsed the plates in the sink and handed them one-by-one to him to put in the dishwasher.

“Nothing,” he said. “What’s going on with you?”

“You know what I mean,” she said. “You look like you’ve been crying for days. Everything about you screams that something’s wrong.”

He didn’t answer, and she splashed him with water.

“Hey,” he said, putting his arms up in defense.

“Talk to me,” she said, handing him another plate.

He put the plate in the dishwasher then looked at her, biting his lip, not sure how to talk about anything going on in his life with his younger cousin.

“I just have a lot of issues,” he tried to shrug off.

“Like?”

“Nothing I want to talk to my baby cousin about,” he told her, reaching for the bowl in her hand.

“_Eomma_ says that she worries about you all the time,” she then told him, grabbing a smaller bowl. “She really wishes you’d move back here and live with us. I think she wants to keep an eye on you. Seems like something you might need.”

“Thanks for that,” he said, taking the next small bowl from her.

“She’s serious though. She thinks you’re lonely.”

If he hadn’t been before, he certainly was now.

“I’m fine,” he said. “You can tell her that I’m fine.”

“I can’t tell her that because it isn’t true,” Hye-jin stated, “but I will tell her that you have a lot of issues.”

“Please don’t.”

“Tell me one of the issues, and I’ll consider not telling her.”

“No, because you’re just going to tell her what the issue is. I know you,” he said, grabbing the large wooden spoon out of her hand before she could hand it to him.

“What are you so upset about?” she said looking surprised at him. “Calm down. I’m just trying to be here for you. We’re family. You can’t blame us for wanting to make sure you’re okay and help out.”

He did appreciate that, and he told her so. He watched her rinse a handful of chopsticks, which she put herself into the little utensils holder in the dishwasher.

“The box thing that I had asked about last time,” Kyungsoo finally said. “It was stolen, and the person who stole it is a very powerful man that is threatening to kill me if I don’t do a job for him.”

Hye-jin’s eyes went wide, and she stared at him, the cup in her hand forgotten. “Are you making that up?”

“I wish I was,” Kyungsoo said. “The reason I went to visit _halmeoni_ this morning was to try and find out information on the box, since she was the original owner. I managed to get the backstory on how it came into her possession, but there’s a key piece of information, literally, that I need to find out from her.”

Hye-jin shut the faucet off and lowered her voice to ask him, “Are you crazy? Are you really in that much trouble that someone is trying to kill you?”

“My life’s weird,” Kyungsoo said, for a lack of a better thing to say.

“No wonder my mother’s always worried about you.”

“I’m always worried about myself, so it must run in the family,” he tried to joke, but his cousin looked at him with an upset expression, and he felt the need to calm her. “I didn’t tell you this to make you concerned. You joked last time about becoming a ghost hunter, and I could use a little help with my job right now. Do you think you can visit _halmeoni_ and try to find out what I need to know? My Korean’s not good enough to really get into specifics with her, and I’m not sure if I’m understanding her correctly.”

“What do I need to find out from her?” she said.

“The box has a key. I need to know where it is, or even, what it is, and what it does.”

“What?” his cousin asked him confused, and Kyungsoo motioned toward the remaining dishes.

“Let’s finish these up and then I’ll bring you up to speed.”

By the time he left his aunt’s house, Kyungsoo felt that maybe they could somehow pull this off if they could just get the right information. He knew he was running out of time, and he anticipated Mr. Hae confronting him at some point soon to see why he still hadn’t gone to the site.

As he sat in the Uber and passed by the beautiful and expensive homes of his aunt’s neighborhood, he found himself thinking about Chanyeol, probably at his father’s expensive home, having to deal with the negative energy of his father. He had a small fantasy of finding Chanyeol’s house, apologizing to him and telling him to let him work it all out, and then freeing him from his house and taking him away from his father. But then he realized that apologizing and asking to give him time to work it all out is what landed him in this mess in the first place with Jongdae.

He had to stop putting off the inevitable and deal with his issues in the moment. His therapist had told him that at some point, but Kyungsoo had brushed it off, sure he’d know how to deal with things when ready. Now, he still wanted to believe that, but he had to acknowledge that he may have been wrong.

He received a call from Baekhyun while in the car and picked it up.

“Hey,” he said, not sure what he was going to get told now.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” Baekhyun asked him, and Kyungsoo felt grateful at the concerned tone of his friend. Maybe he hadn’t ruined all his friendships after all.

“I’m…just doing what I need to do,” Kyungsoo admitted.

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun said. “I know it has to be hard right now.”

“I’m just such a shitty person,” Kyungsoo told him. “I should have handled all of this better from the beginning so that no one got hurt.”

“Hindsight and all that,” Baekhyun said, “but you’re not a shitty person. You just make bad decisions a lot. Like not letting me get rid of ghosts for you anymore. Maybe next time, I mean, I’m no expert, so don’t listen to me if you don’t want, but maybe next time, let people in on the decisions you’re making about them so they can weigh in and stop you from making them.”

Kyungsoo sighed and nodded, “No, you’re right. I’m not good at dealing with things in the moment. Before you called, I was thinking about how my therapist told me that.”

“Weird, must be my psychic powers as a medium,” Baekhyun said and followed it with one of his “haha” laughs.

Kyungsoo would have normally smiled, but the best he could do in the moment was let his lips twitch a bit.

“Must be,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“Are you going to be okay tonight?” Baekhyun then asked him. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us at Jongin’s? You know we’d be good at getting your mind off things.”

“I can’t,” Kyungsoo told him. “I need a little time to figure my shit out,” he said, feeling Chanyeol’s words said it best.

“Okay, well come over if you change your mind,” Baekhyun told him. “Try and get some rest.”

“You too,” Kyungsoo told him and hung up, feeling grateful that he still had good friends and family in his life.

Maybe Jongin was right. Maybe everything would be alright once it all calmed down. But even so, Kyungsoo didn’t like the idea of things being alright without Jongdae in his life, or Chanyeol for that matter.

***

Kyungsoo woke up the next morning to another phone call from Baekhyun. He had expected him to be checking in on him again, but instead he said, “Just thought you’d like to know that Jongdae’s getting on a flight that leaves today.”

His stomach flipped, and he sat up straight in his bed.

“I have to talk to him,” Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun. “Please tell him to let me talk to him before he leaves. Please.”

“We’re having a hard enough time doing that ourselves,” Baekhyun told him, “but I’ll see what I can do. Standby.”

He hung up and Kyungsoo closed his eyes, trying to send all the signals and energy that he could toward Jongdae to let him talk with him at least one last time. It was clear to Kyungsoo now that if Jongdae was walking out of his life forever, then he deserved to know the truth.

Kyungsoo showered and got dressed, mostly to calm his nerves that were making him feel anxious and like he needed to do something. He knew that Jongdae would be flying out of Incheon, so maybe he could head to the airport and start looking for him. Only Incheon had two terminals that were nowhere near each other, so maybe he could get Baekhyun to go with him and they could split up and cover both.

Just as he finished brushing his teeth, his phone rang. He picked up, and Baekhyun gave him better news than he could have expected in that moment.

It was kismet, Kyungsoo thought, that Jongdae would have to change trains at the station closest to Kyungsoo’s place to catch the line that would take him to the airport. Kyungsoo hurried through the busy sidewalks, weaving around the people that were rushing on their way to work or school.

According to Baekhyun, Jongdae would be waiting for him on the second floor of the Starbucks across from the station, and Kyungsoo rushed in and up the stairs, his head darting around until he spotted Jongdae sipping coffee from a mug. His carryon stood right beside his chair, and Kyungsoo’s stomach dropped all over again.

He tried to approach the table in a normal way, though he had wanted to run to him, and when he reached it, he said, “Thank you so much for not leaving yet.”

Jongdae looked up at him and then placed his mug down, not saying anything. He crossed his arms and looked toward the chair across from him.

Kyungsoo sat in it and looked at Jongdae, wishing he had rehearsed something to say, but in the end, he knew that he had to be honest.

“I am so sorry,” Kyungsoo began, and Jongdae looked as if he wanted to roll his eyes, but he continued to look at him. “I seriously fucked up here. I didn’t know how to handle things, and instead…this happened. It’s my fault. It’s not yours, or anyone else’s, it’s just me.”

Kyungsoo took a deep breath, and Jongdae continued to let him speak.

“But I need you to know and understand, that I didn’t cheat on you.”

Jongdae did roll his eyes then and looked over at his backpack as if he wanted to pick it up and leave.

“No, listen to me. I pulled away from you, and because I did, I assumed I had lost you, so I guess I moved on.”

“I’m happy for you,” Jongdae said, reaching to grab the strap.

“Please, listen to me,” Kyungsoo said, and Jongdae let out a frustrated breath and looked back at him.

“I get it,” Jongdae said. “And it is my fault. Who stupidly holds onto hope about a person that left them high and dry? Only dumb people like me. I was so in love with you that I couldn’t handle the idea that you had really left me, so I’m the dumb one, and it’s my fault for not having enough self-respect to let you go and move on.”

“No,” Kyungsoo said, “it’s really not like that. I didn’t actually break up with you.”

“Actions speak louder than words,” Jongdae said, letting out another harsh breath. “I didn’t want to accept the actions. You didn’t have to say it.”

“But we really weren’t broken up,” Kyungsoo said, his own frustration evident. “I thought I was going to lose you, so I pulled away, and in my head, I focused on my leads to try and end everything, and then, of course, because I’m me, I got lonely and needed someone…”

“I don’t want to hear this shit,” Jongdae said, and he shook his head. “And what did I do that made you think you were going to lose me? All I did was be there for you, and support you, and try and make sure you were okay. When did I ever indicate that you would lose me?”

“It wasn’t you,” Kyungsoo tried to explain. He felt tears prick at his eyes, and he wiggled his nose to try and keep them back. “It wasn’t you,” he said again, softer.

“I don’t understand then,” Jongdae said.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath, and he tried to figure out the best way to reveal the dark secret he had been keeping, but in the end, he simply said, “I have a watcher.”

Jongdae continued to look confused, and then awareness hit him and his eyes widened.

“What?” Jongdae asked.

“I have a watcher,” Kyungsoo said again.

“Since when?” Jongdae said, his voice softening as he leaned in.

“Since Baek,” Kyungsoo told him. “That was the first time I saw it. I… I had heard about them, but never seen one. And then that night that Baek almost died, I felt this… I don’t know how to explain it exactly. I felt terrified, and I looked over my shoulder, and there it was, standing in a black cloak, its face ashen and skeletal,” Kyungsoo had to take a deep breath.

“Oh my God,” Jongdae said, staring at him with furrowed brows and looking shocked.

“Then I saw it again. When I ran outside after I heard the loud crash that killed my parents. I couldn’t sleep for so long after that. I kept thinking it would show up in my nightmares. It did a few times, but I didn’t end up seeing it again in person until that night we were at the construction site. It was there, just before that vengeful spirit threw that steel beam in your direction. I thought you were going to die that night, and it scared me so much to know that I was responsible.”

“You’re not responsible,” Jongdae said, but he did look a bit shaken by this information.

“I am. Watchers latch onto people for a reason.”

“But I didn’t die. And Baek didn’t die,” Jongdae pointed out, though Kyungsoo could very well see that he was doing it for his own benefit. He was trying to make sure that he stayed calm about this by applying some sort of rationality.

“Baek didn’t die because his guardian angel took a human form and saved him just in time,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “You managed to move out of the way at the last second, and I still don’t know how that happened. And also, at the greenhouse the other night. I felt it again. That’s why I had to make sure you went to the hospital and were okay. This is why I kept telling you to wait until I had everything back to normal.”

“You think it’s connected to this box thing?” Jongdae asked. “Because that incident with Baek happened well before your parents died.”

“Well, no, but it was more that I was going to retire from ghost hunting altogether after I found the missing item from my will,” Kyungsoo explained.

“That wouldn’t stop a watcher from showing up,” Jongdae pointed out.

“I know, but it might lessen the situations. I don’t know. I want it to go away, and I want all this stuff with this stupid box to go away, and I don’t know how to get rid of any of it.”

Jongdae looked at him in thought for a moment. “Like you said, watchers latch onto people for a reason. Did something significant happen before the incident with Baek?”

“Not that I remember,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. To his knowledge, it had been an ordinary day like any other.

Jongdae pursed his lips in thought and then looked at him a little annoyed. “Baek and I can’t even help you with this one. Only the person the watcher is haunting can see or feel the effects of it, so we wouldn’t be able to see it or sense it to try and get rid of it for you. Not that we’d be able to anyway. They’re not ghosts, or angels, or demons.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo said.

Watchers were of the same family as reapers, only instead of being tasked with making sure spirits crossed over to their next life, they were tasked with watching over a certain person, usually as an omen to warn them of something, often times their own death. Which is why Kyungsoo knew that it was his fault that Baek had almost died, that his parents had died, and that Jongdae had almost died twice. All of his moments of possible death had taken, or almost taken, the wrong people instead. By being with him, other people’s lives were in danger.

“You should’ve told me,” Jongdae then said, looking at him with earnest eyes. “I know it’s a huge deal, and it scares you, but you should’ve told me.”

“I didn’t want you to worry,” Kyungsoo said lamely, but it was the truth. “It’s why I haven’t told anyone. I don’t want all of you to worry.”

“You have to let the others know,” Jongdae then said with a gentle tone.

Kyungsoo squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head, but knowing he was right. They had to know. They had to know why he had to deal with Mr. Hae alone.

“You have to,” Jongdae said again. “They need to know.”

“I have a feeling,” Kyungsoo said, “that the omen might have been about this job Mr. Hae wants me to do. I think this is where I…”

“Shut up,” Jongdae said, his gentleness turning into a stern glare. “Don’t even say it. It’s not going to happen. We’ll figure this out.”

“We?” Kyungsoo asked, looking at him with big eyes, but trying to not be too hopeful.

“We as in the whole gang,” Jongdae said.

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding and looked down. He deserved that.

“I meant what I said.” Kyungsoo looked back at him, hoping he believed him. “I really want to end all this so we can go back to normal.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Jongdae said, narrowing his eyes a little as he seemed to think through his own thoughts. “I think you pulled away from me for a reason. Not because you had a watcher, but because you were consumed by finding this thing that your parents left you. I think you felt you needed to find it because it was a way for you to still be connected with them. Like, your time with them wasn’t over. They still needed you to do something for them, and I think you felt that finding it would give you closure.”

Kyungsoo felt exposed, and he swallowed and looked at the table instead.

“The thing is, once you do find it, or once you complete this quest that’s connected to them, you’re going to find that you still feel incomplete. Your way of grieving is your own, and I understand that, but I don’t think that’s going to go away once you do this. After you’re done with this whole Mr. Hae thing, you’re going to realize that they’re still gone.”

He didn’t want to hear that, and he bit his bottom lip and looked toward the wall instead.

“So, I don’t think there is such thing as going back to normal for you. I remember what your normal used to be like, before your parents died, and I don’t think you’re ever going to go back to that. Just like, after all that’s happened, I don’t think we can ever go back to that.”

“Or maybe you just don’t want to deal with who I am now,” Kyungsoo threw back at him because he was hurt, and because he hadn’t liked how intuitive Jongdae was.

“Honestly, I don’t,” Jongdae said, and Kyungsoo looked at him as if he had been punched in the gut.

“That was too honest,” Kyungsoo stated in almost a whisper to himself.

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae said, “but it’s the truth. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t respect me enough to tell me the truth when I ask him. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t respect my feelings so they string me along while they’ve moved on. You kept texting me last night that you love me, but you don’t. That’s not what love is. You did love me once. I remember those days well, and I’ll always remember them, but you don’t love me anymore, and you need to stop lying about it.”

“I pulled away because I loved you,” Kyungsoo said, trying to plead his case once more.

“I’m not going to argue with you on when you stopped loving me,” Jongdae said, and Kyungsoo wished he could be as calm as Jongdae seemed, but his heart was hurting too much and anxiety rattled his nerves. “Only you know the answer to that. But I do believe you when you say that you pulled away because you were scared that I would die.”

Kyungsoo had thought it was all the same thing, and now he felt confused. For the first time in his entire life, Kyungsoo had to admit that maybe he had no idea what love was after all. He certainly hadn’t grown up witnessing it, and now he wondered if he was capable of knowing how to truly love a person.

“This hurts,” Kyungsoo said, closing his eyes to push back the tears that wanted to spill. This wasn’t the time or place. He’d have time to cry about the too honest truths he’d heard today.

“Try walking in on your boyfriend making out with a hot guy on a couch,” Jongdae smarted.

“I’m so sorry,” Kyungsoo said to him again.

“Try finding out that your boyfriend has been hooking up with his best friend behind your back,” Jongdae felt the need to continue.

“It wasn’t like that,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his hand in front of him as if letting him know he had it all wrong. “It was after I had pulled away from you, and he was there for me, and it was entirely my fault. Jongin was just being a good friend, and I used him, and I apologized to him for that too because I shouldn’t have used him like that.”

“I just don’t understand why you’re not with him then,” Jongdae said. “Was that the first time you guys had hooked up? You guys did always seem close, the more that I thought about it.”

“Not exactly,” Kyungsoo said. “We used to hook up sometimes in high school and college,” he let him know.

“Don’t you think that’s something you should’ve mentioned to your boyfriend at some point?” Jongdae said, seeming quite annoyed by this.

“I don’t know how to explain my relationship with Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, frustration mixed in with his pleading tone. “We’re there for each other when we need each other most. But we’d never date each other. That’s not the kind of relationship we have. I know it’s weird and complicated, but…I don’t know. I’m a weird and complicated person, okay?”

“I remember when you first introduced me to him,” Jongdae said, still looking rather annoyed. “I remember thinking he was so good looking that there was no way you didn’t have a thing for him.”

“I don’t,” Kyungsoo said. “It’s really not about that with us. It’s more…I don’t know, a comfort thing.”

“That’s really fucking weird, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae said, his eyes piercing him.

“I know…” Kyungsoo’s voice fell soft again as he looked away from the judgmental look Jongdae gave him. “I’ve brought it up in therapy, but it kinda fell by the wayside because I had bigger issues to deal with.” Kyungsoo looked back at him when he didn’t say anything, and just shrugged and said, “I’m screwed up.”

“Everyone’s screwed up in their own way,” Jongdae said. “It doesn’t excuse you from hurting other people.”

Kyungsoo wondered how many knives Jongdae was going to stick in him during this conversation. He nodded at him, however, knowing that each knife was deserved.

“I really miss the version of you that’s happy and optimistic all the time right now,” Kyungsoo said to try and lighten the mood. “I know I deserve this though, and I know that the things you are saying are true, and I need to hear them.”

“I understand,” Jongdae said, running his fingers over the rim of his forgotten coffee mug. “I miss the version of you that wasn’t consumed by finding a missing box.”

“I think…after all I’ve learned these past few days, that even if I hadn’t gone looking for it, I would have ended up in the same situation.”

“How so?” Jongdae asked.

“Mr. Hae needs me for something. He’s looking for a key that goes with the box. He thinks I have a key, and I don’t know why he needs a key, but he thinks I have it. So I think that this was all kind of inevitable.”

“You’re probably right,” Jongdae nodded. “He did stalk you early on.”

“I hate this box so much.”

“I bet you do,” Jongdae said, and he finally picked up his mug to take another sip.

Kyungsoo watched him, hating that this might be the last time he ever saw him, so he decided to risk being hurt again.

“Dae, I know you’re done with me, and you’re going to move on and everything, but…do you think we could still be friends? I mean, I know I don’t deserve to have you as a friend, but I don’t have many that I’m really close to, and…I really don’t want to lose another person in my life that was always there for me. Shit, this sounds selfish. I know it does. I’m so sorry. It’s just…the idea that I’ll never see you again. It really hurts a lot.”

He supposed exposing himself completely was the only thing left for him to do, and he bit his lip as he watched Jongdae stare at him.

“Let’s just play it by ear,” Jongdae finally said, placing his mug back down.

Kyungsoo didn’t hate the answer.

“That almost sounds like you’d give me a chance to still be friends, which sounds like I’d see you again.” Kyungsoo said, and he may have been looking at him with a little too much hope.

Jongdae sighed and looked almost annoyed, then explained, “I can’t leave knowing you have a watcher and are planning on throwing yourself into this dangerous situation. Just because I’ve officially broken up with you and am really angry with you right now doesn’t mean I want you to die. I’m not an asshole.”

“But there’s nothing you can do,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “No one can help me with this. So in that case, you don’t have to stay.”

“Nice try,” Jongdae said. “There has to be a solution. Let’s head to…” Jongdae gave a frustrated sigh as he probably realized that all of their meetings always took place at Jongin’s. “How about we find a neutral place to have everyone gather so you can tell them about your watcher problem? We’ll try and figure it out from there.”

“What about your flight?” Kyungsoo asked as he watched Jongdae grab his backpack.

“I was going to try and buy a ticket at the counter,” he said. “The flights leaving this morning were all full online.”

“It was meant to be,” Kyungsoo said.

“We’ll see about that,” Jongdae said. “Call and let them know we’re meeting them somewhere.”

Kyungsoo took out his phone and let everyone know in their group chat, but the message didn’t go through, and Kyungsoo looked at Jongdae, realizing why.

“You kind of need to unblock me,” Kyungsoo said, showing him his phone.

Jongdae looked put out by this, but unblocked him, and Kyungsoo had to give him a half smile for it. He was going to do his best to prove to Jongdae that they should remain friends. When he thought about it, they had been through too much for things to end in this way.

***

It was decided that everyone would meet up in Hongdae, since Kyungsoo and Jongdae were already there, so they left the Starbucks and walked back to his place so Jongdae could drop off his carryon and backpack.

They then headed back toward Eoulmadag-ro. The street, which was normally overrun with street performers doing singer-songwriter covers or K-pop dancing at night, was bustling with a different energy as the early lunch crowd met up with their fellow co-workers and friends. Kyungsoo and Jongdae sat on a bench, both distracting themselves on their phones until they were alerted by Jongin that they had arrived.

The friends found them fairly easily, and Kyungsoo noticed that Sehun had joined them as well with his trusty demon by his side.

“So?” Baekhyun said pointing to Kyungsoo and Jongdae. “Did you guys kiss and make up?”

“No,” Jongdae answered before Kyungsoo could get the chance. “We’re officially broken up now.”

Kyungsoo bit his lip and looked toward the shrubbery beside the bench to distract himself from whatever he felt inside.

“I’m so sorry,” Baekhyun said. “Well, let’s go find food.”

Baekhyun linked his arm through Jongdae’s, as if wanting to cheer him up, talking his ear off about one of his worst breakups as they walked. “At least Kyungsoo doesn’t have a dog. My ex made me keep walking her dog after she dumped me. And then this one time, I had an ex that set my homework on fire. That was in middle school, but I knew then that my love life was always going to be a disaster.”

Jongin walked with Kyungsoo, and he glanced over at him and asked, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Just dealing with everything.”

“Well, Jongdae’s still here, so it seems like things will be alright, yeah?”

“You’ll find out why he’s still here once we start our meeting.”

Jongin raised an eyebrow then nodded.

They ended up at a restaurant in the basement of a building that offered up enough fried food to get them through what needed to be said.

Kyungsoo noticed Jongin look at Jongdae, as if attempting to get a read on him, and Jongdae glanced at Jongin, then glanced away. When Jongin took a seat at the table, Jongdae made sure to take a seat at the opposite end, and Kyungsoo noticed that Jongin looked a little defeated.

Baekhyun sat beside Jongdae, with Yixing beside him, and Irene beside the angel and across from Jongin. Kyungsoo sat beside Jongin and Sehun sat beside him, with Junmyeon taking the seat across from Jongdae.

They ordered pajeon, fried chicken, fries, and a round of beer, Kyungsoo knowing he was going to need a couple to get through this.

Once they had their drinks, Kyungsoo cleared his throat and looked at all of his friends.

“So, first of all, I want to apologize to everyone for the craziness of the past couple of days,” Kyungsoo began, noticing that everyone now had their attention on him. “My personal issues shouldn’t have interfered with the bigger issue we’re all dealing with here, so I’m sorry that I let that happen. I want you guys to know that my priority is this thing with Mr. Hae, and I’ve been doing some independent research and following new leads.”

They all nodded at him, and he felt the courage to continue, even though what he would say next would kill all their plans anyway.

“Having said that,” he said, letting out a soft breath, “there’s something I’ve been holding back from everyone. It’s something I never shared with anyone until today when I finally told Jongdae. There’s a reason I’ve told you guys to go back home and to let me handle this alone.” He took a deep breath, then continued, “I have a watcher.”

Gasps and widened eyes were followed by “What?” from the people around the table, and Kyungsoo sucked in his lips and nodded.

“Since when?” Jongin asked.

“Since Baek,” Kyungsoo answered, and he recounted for them again all that he had told Jongdae about it. When he finished, he looked at everyone’s stunned and worried faces.

“Why didn’t you tell me this?” Jongin asked, rubbing his temple.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Kyungsoo told him, just as he had told Jongdae.

Silence took over the table, and then Baekhyun, who always felt nervous when things were too quiet, joked, “Well, we’re going to need more guardian angels.”

Normally they all would have laughed in agreement, but no one said a thing as they picked at their food or looked at Kyungsoo with concern.

“I mean,” Irene finally said, picking up a fry to dip in the ssamjang on the table, “at the end of the day, I don’t think any of us are going to send you to your death alone.”

“You have to,” Kyungsoo said. “This is something I have to face alone. And thanks to you guys I have more information than I would have had if I had tried to get it all myself, so you guys have already helped me enough.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Jongin said, still rubbing at his temple and looking thoughtful. “You shouldn’t even be able to see a watcher.”

“That’s a good point,” Baekhyun said, now looking at him with curiosity. “Unless you have gifts that you haven’t shared with us?”

“I don’t,” Kyungsoo confirmed.

“But still,” Sehun said, also looking pensive, “only people with gifts can see them, or people who are at the end of their life when their consciousness becomes aware of the other planes of existence.”

“And we know that’s not the case with you,” Baekhyun said, pointing at him with a chicken leg.

“Are you sure you don’t have any gifts?” Irene asked him. “Maybe latent gifts?”

“You were able to hear the spirit tell you ‘samjogo’ at the Taeyang building,” Jongdae then pointed out to him. “You shouldn’t have been able to hear that.”

“That’s a good point,” Jongin said, looking at Kyungsoo. “You had never heard a spirit talk to you before, right?”

“That’s true,” Kyungsoo nodded. “I don’t know why that happened.”

“We need to figure it out,” Jongin said.

“Every time we come up with a crappy plan,” Baekhyun said between bites of his chicken, “something pops up to make it harder, so then we have to come up with a crappier plan.”

“And we’re running out of time,” Irene agreed, “If we haven’t already.”

“Five poltergeists,” Baekhyun counted off with his fingers, “one old spirit of some kind, a CEO that’s trying to kill our ghost hunter, and a watcher. Am I missing anything?”

“We might be out an exorcist?” Irene said, looking at Jongdae.

Jongdae gave a short shake of his head, “I can’t leave you guys when the situation is this bad. I’ll stay and help.”

“Thank goodness,” Baekhyun said, patting him on the shoulder, “because you have no idea how hard it’s been finding decent mediums in this town. You’d think they’d be more skilled with so much shamanic history in the culture, but nope, not that great. Although, I did find one that might be able to help, but she’s Canadian and just in town visiting family. So I’m not sure how long she’ll be an option for.”

“I’ve found someone that can help too,” Kyungsoo told them. “She’s a parapsychologist, so I’ll try and meet with her tomorrow and see if she can help me figure out why I can see a watcher.”

“Perfect,” Irene said.

“Taemin didn’t see anything out of the ordinary at the site,” Jongin informed, and Kyungsoo could sense his friends becoming more hopeful as they each spoke. “Outside of Irene and Seulgi scoping everything out, of course.”

“That place definitely has a strong, heavy energy.” Irene said, “We didn’t even cross the street to it. We kept going around the perimeter across the street and even that was awful. It’s not surprising no one actually walks on the sidewalk around it.”

“Strong enough for muggles to feel?” Jongin asked.

“Very much so,” Irene replied.

“What are muggles?” Junmyeon asked.

“It’s a Harry Potter reference for people who are not witches or wizards,” Baekhyun said with a laugh.

“Oh,” Junmyeon nodded, and then he looked at Sehun, “I really must read the sacred texts.”

Sehun smiled at him and said, “I’ve been telling you to,” in return.

“Are we sure there’s no way to eliminate a watcher?” Jongin asked, still looking a bit unsure about everything.

“I can look into it,” Sehun said, “but there’s no known way to even eliminate a reaper, so it’s doubtful.”

“Then the watcher has to be a non-issue,” Irene said with a wave of her hand. “Nothing we can do about it, so let’s focus on the stuff we can do.”

“Agreed,” Baekhyun said. “Now let’s go _noraebang_!”

They did chuckle at Baekhyun this time, but the heavy news of the watcher had done its damage, and they left most of the food untouched. They paid the bill, most of the friends still a bit subdued and stating that they wanted to just head home and keep working on their leads.

As they headed toward the subway station, Kyungsoo heard Jongin say, “Hey,” and he looked over to see that he had said it to Jongdae.

“Do you think we could talk for a minute?” Jongin asked him.

Jongdae looked resigned by the question and headed away from the group, Jongin following as they walked toward a storefront for some privacy.

Kyungsoo felt guilt, and he looked down as Baekhyun rubbed his arm.

“It’ll all work out,” Baekhyun said. “Jongdae probably won’t be a crazy ex.”

Kyungsoo gave him an appreciative smile.

“I’m just grateful he’s sticking around to help,” Irene said, looking toward the exorcist and god as they spoke.

“Me too,” Baekhyun said, and then he looked at Yixing. “Could you tell his guardian angel to come down and help protect him during our big poltergeist battle? That would make it easier for him and me to take them out.”

“His guardian angel is a bit busy,” Yixing told him.

“What do you mean his guardian angel is busy?” Kyungsoo said, panic rising.

“Do not worry,” Yixing told him with a twinkle in his eye. “Jongdae’s guardian angel has a very high ranking with many responsibilities. It is normal for those with the power of exorcism to be protected by those of a higher order. Jongdae is in excellent hands, and his guardian angel will protect him when necessary.”

“Maybe that’s why the steel beam missed him,” Baekhyun said with a hopeful smile.

“Yeah, maybe,” Kyungsoo could only hope as well, and he looked back over at Jongin and Jongdae.

Kyungsoo couldn’t figure out how it was going, both still looking a bit guarded with the other, but then there was some nodding to the other and they both walked back to the group, neither seeming any more happier or relaxed than when they had left to speak.

They all parted ways, and Kyungsoo and Jongdae walked back the few blocks to Kyungsoo’s apartment to get Jongdae’s bags.

“Is everything with you and Jongin okay now?” Kyungsoo ventured to ask.

“Not really,” Jongdae said. “I told him that the fact that he didn’t consider my feelings in all of this meant that we weren’t friends anyway. He said he’d like to change that. I told him that we had to work together to end this Mr. Hae stuff so we’d see where that landed us after.”

“I think that’s fair,” Kyungsoo said, and they turned the corner of his street. “Thank you for giving him a chance. I feel really guilty about it. I don’t think he expected it ever to be something that was known. It’s like, he was doing me a favor, but no good deed goes unpunished.”

“I’m not sure it was a one-sided favor,” Jongdae shrugged. “Obviously he was into you, too. I do hope, for both of your sake’s, that you guys figure it out one day.”

“I do too,” Kyungsoo said, and he led them up to his apartment, calling an Uber for him while Jongdae grabbed his things.

That night while Kyungsoo lay in his bed, his thoughts turned to Chanyeol, who he hadn’t heard anything from. Not that he had expected to. But still, not having him at their meeting to see him be amazed by the things he heard had made Kyungsoo really miss him.

He decided to text him.

_Hey. Not sure if you want to hear from me, but I’m really sorry about everything that happened. I miss you. Can we talk?_

He texted Jennie while he waited for a reply, asking her if they could meet up the next day, and then he went to sleep because it appeared he wasn’t going to receive a text back from Chanyeol.

***

Kyungsoo looked at the image of the flower on the screen, more than bored with this exercise already.

“Did I happen to mention that I wasn’t a fan of tests? School in general?” he said to Jennie, who sat at a desk taking notes on her laptop. At least he thought she was taking notes.

“I don’t care?” she said, then asked him what image would come next.

“I don’t know. A bee?”

She changed the image and it was of the Titanic sinking.

“What’s next?” she asked.

Kyungsoo gave her a look, and she made an annoyed sound and turned off the slides.

“Have they really not updated testing methodologies in parapsychology?” he then asked.

“You try and come up with modern testing methodologies when you’re labeled a pseudoscience and denied funding,” she said, handing him a single dice instead. “Pick a number.”

“Three?”

“Now toss the dice in front of you and try and use your mind to make sure it comes up three.”

“Seriously?” Kyungsoo asked, and Jennie gave him a slight glare, so he followed her instructions.

The dice came out as four.

“Were you really concentrating?”

“I mean…no, but I don’t think I’ve ever used mind control in my life.”

“Try it again.”

“Okay,” he said, tossing it as it landed on two.

“Again.”

“What if I told you that mentally I had thought it would be a two?”

“Is that true?”

“No.”

“Again.”

Kyungsoo chuckled and went through this exercise about ten more times before Jennie put her hand out for the dice to be returned to her.

She then placed five white cards in front of him and asked him to pick the one that had the circle on it.

He stared at her, then at the white cards, then back at her, then back at the cards and chose the middle one.

She turned it over to show a triangle instead, then she leaned back in her chair and observed him.

“What?” he said, wondering if he should be nervous.

“When you go on your hunts, do you sense things?”

“As in do I sense the spirit I’m hunting for? Not really. Not until it shows up. And then I sense it just fine.”

“But no precognitive sensing?”

“None,” he said, and then paused and considered, then amended, “Well, unless we’re counting the watcher.”

“It’s really weird,” she said, crossing her arms. “Due to the nature of your profession, you would know by now if you had any psychic sensitivities at all, but the fact that you went into ghost hunting in the first place shows a natural born proclivity for the psychic.”

“I guess,” Kyungsoo shrugged.

“Something drew you to it,” Jennie said plainly.

“My mom told me a really creepy ghost story once, and I liked the concept enough to make it a hobby,” he told her.

“Your mom also possessed a haunted box that she passed down to you in her will.”

“Are you going to turn this into some Freudian mommy issue thing?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You are your mother’s son,” she said, ignoring his joke. “Maybe she was the one with the talents and she passed some genes down to you. Enough to make you see watchers and hear voices every now and then, but not enough to be a full on medium.”

He had to admit it wasn’t a bad theory, but it also didn’t help him any. He looked around at the parapsychology books stacked in the corner and the bookshelves holding files on paranormal cases.

“You are your grandfather’s granddaughter,” he said looking back at her. “He was a professor, right?”

“Physics,” she told him.

He nodded and then said, “Both of my parents were successful business people. I didn’t get that from either of them.”

“Your ghost hunting business doesn’t do well?” she asked, uncrossing her arms.

“It’s a hobby,” he said. “I mean, most ghost hunting is a hobby. I don’t charge people who need their houses rid of spirits. If I have to travel a long distance for the job, then I’ll charge travel fees. That’s it.”

“How altruistic,” she said, and he sensed she wasn’t mocking him.

“It’s not,” he informed her. “Ghost hunters don’t charge people. It’s looked down upon in the ghost hunting community.”

“Then how altruistic of all of you,” she corrected. “I haven’t met many ghost hunters. I mostly interact with psychics and mediums. They do charge for their services.”

“One of my closest friends is the best medium in the whole word. He doesn’t charge much, considering his talent,” he said with a smile.

“Really?” she said, eyebrows raising. “How I wish I was speaking to him instead right now.”

“Ha,” Kyungsoo said. “Is your grandfather this witty? He seemed the quiet type.”

“Ha,” she said back, and then she looked at her screen, appearing to read over her notes. “Based on what you’ve told me, and based on the fact that I trust what you’re saying to me, something’s there. It’s not hidden or latent, since you’re able to see a watcher. And since this seems to be based mostly on a watcher, the spiritual connection appears to be specific or for a cause. It’s almost as if…” She took a moment to think. “It feels like you have this particular gift for a reason. You weren’t born with it, you didn’t work on developing it, but it appeared one day, whether along with the watcher, or because of the watcher, or in defense of the possibility of a watcher, I’m not sure. Are you sure nothing out of the ordinary happened on the day you first saw the watcher?”

Kyungsoo thought back to the incident with the evil spirit taking over Baekhyun’s body.

“I mean, my friend’s guardian angel took on a human form and saved him?”

“Did anything happen with your mother that day?”

“I don’t think so,” Kyungsoo said, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Try and think about it more,” Jennie said. “My next appointment should be here soon.”

“Uh, yeah,” Kyungsoo said, getting up from the chair, “thanks for squeezing me in.”

Kyungsoo left the parapsychologist’s office and checked his texts again, but still there was no reply from Chanyeol. He debated what to do next.

He could go to Jongin’s, but chances were that he and the rest of the friends were out doing things to prepare for this poltergeist battle that awaited them. He knew his cousin was going to visit his grandmother, but she hadn’t reached out to him yet.

He really wanted to see Chanyeol.

Instead he got on a bus, and switched to another bus, and then got on a third bus that would take him directly to the headquarters for Hae Corp.

He remembered that when he was younger, he’d sometimes head after school to the building that housed his parents’ company. He usually went when he missed them and felt he hadn’t seen them enough due to their meetings and business trips, as if wanting to remind them he still existed. At least that’s how he had felt at the time. Other times, he’d end up there because they had gotten a call from his school that they didn’t like, and he’d be instructed to stop by for a talking to since they wouldn’t be home until too late to deal with it.

In comparison to his family’s company, the Hae Corp building was much higher, with many more floors, and a lobby so large that there were sets of elevators on the left, right, and the middle.

“May I help you?” the front desk receptionist said.

“I’m here to see Mr…” Kyungsoo had to stop himself, almost slipping and calling him “Mr. Hae.” He gave the correct name and the receptionist didn’t bother to entertain him, asking instead if he had an appointment.

“No,” Kyungsoo said, “but if you tell him I’m here, I’m sure he’ll see me.”

“He’s a very busy man with many important meetings,” the receptionist told him. “If this is for a school assignment, you’ll need to make an appointment.”

Kyungsoo almost glared at him, but then he looked down at himself and supposed he could have put some effort into his appearance to look more mature. He hadn’t anticipated coming here when he had woken up that morning.

“Can you please let him know that Kyungsoo Doh is here? I’ll wait,” he said, raising his eyebrow at him.

The polished man looked at him with his own raised eyebrow and picked up the phone. After appearing to have connected with Mr. Hae’s personal receptionist, the man hung up.

“He’s in an important meeting right now. You can make an appointment if you wish to speak to him.”

“Get his receptionist back,” Kyungsoo said, motioning to the phone. “I have a message for him that I want to leave.”

The man looked annoyed as he picked up the phone again and called the receptionist, then explained there was a message to be left.

“What is it?” the man asked him.

“Tell him that I’m doing as he asked, and that he should expect results within the next few days.”

He relayed the message and hung up. He then displayed a very fake smile and asked, “Can I help you with anything else?”

“You weren’t even helpful to begin with,” Kyungsoo told him, turning around and leaving through the revolving door. He supposed he didn’t have to be rude to the guy, but the guy had been rude to him. Did he really look like he was still in school? He didn’t even have his backpack with him.

He caught a bus to head toward Jongin’s, thinking that he may as well let them know that they now had a deadline. He knew he couldn’t keep letting this linger for any longer. It had already gone on for too long.

Just as he got off the bus to transfer to the subway line, he got a text back from Chanyeol.

_Can you meet now?_

Kyungsoo stepped aside to not block the stairs down to the station and texted back that he could.

Chanyeol told him to meet him at Yeouido Park in front of the Seoul sign, and Kyungsoo told him that he’d head straight there.

***

Kyungsoo stood by the door of the train, anticipating and wondering what Chanyeol wanted to say to him. He imagined it was something along the lines of “you’re really fucked up, and we’re never seeing each other again,” but just in case it wasn’t, Kyungsoo tried to think of what he needed to say to him. He was sorry. It was complicated. It wasn’t what it seemed. None of these things would convey the truth correctly, even though they were the truth.

He got off at the station that dropped him off right at the park and instantly found himself confronted by the _ajummas_ shoving paper menus in his face. It was a nice spring day, the breeze just right and the smog a little lighter than the previous days. He wished he was there for a picnic and that his main order of business was selecting a menu for the perfect outdoor meal, but since it wasn’t, he walked right by them with his head ducked and tried to figure out where the Seoul sign was.

From the top of the steps, he surveyed the large park and spotted it, heading in the direction of the white block letters that spelled out “I Seoul U” against the Han River and the Seoul skyline behind it. A large group of young women were taking pictures in front of it, excited and giving different poses with “V” signs, and Kyungsoo paused and smiled, taking in the tall man who directed them to move closer together and then took the picture.

The excited girls ran to him to see the results and then thanked him with polite bows before running off to a different part of the park to explore.

“I didn’t know I was going to run into a world famous travel photographer here,” Kyungsoo said, teasing, wanting to start things off light. He took in the black jeans and baby blue short-sleeved button down shirt Chanyeol wore and thought it wasn’t fair that he looked so good right in that moment. But then again, maybe it would be a good thing to have this be the last image he saw of him.

“That’s my fifth one,” Chanyeol said, looking more relaxed than Kyungsoo expected. “I probably should have chosen a less touristy spot of the park.”

“I’m glad you chose this one,” Kyungsoo told him, having enjoyed the view very much.

Chanyeol nodded toward the direction of the river and started walking.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Kyungsoo admitted as they strolled.

“Why?”

“Because I fucked up royally, and you have every reason to be upset with me and never talk to me again?”

Chanyeol stayed silent until they reached the railing by the Han, and then Chanyeol looked at him.

“It wasn’t really about me,” Chanyeol said. “I mean, you could’ve mentioned you had a boyfriend, but outside of that, you were using me. I understand that.”

“I wasn’t using you though,” Kyungsoo said, needing him to understand.

“You had to be,” Chanyeol said, looking understanding in a different way. “You didn’t care to even meet me that first day, and then you changed tactics. It makes sense. You’re trying to get to the bottom of all this, and you needed to use me to try and do that. It’s not the first time. I find I get used a lot, especially by people that want something from my father.”

Kyungsoo shook his head, now looking at Chanyeol worried.

“My tactic was never to use you like that. My only tactic was to get to know you better to see if I could find anything out. Everything else was… me being… very… stupidly… highly… attracted to you,” Kyungsoo mumbled the final words, but Chanyeol seemed to have caught them.

“Then why did you hide that you had a boyfriend?”

“Because I’m a horrible person,” Kyungsoo sighed. “Jongdae almost died on a hunt, and I blamed myself for it, so I pulled away from him. It wasn’t like I told him we were broken up or anything, I just stopped talking to him. I handled it completely wrong.” He ran his hand through his hair and let out a soft breath. “I wasn’t thinking. If I had been, I would’ve… I don’t know, just broken up with him I guess. Hurt him once, then never have to worry about him getting killed because of me. Anyway, once this lead became more concrete, Jongin called him to come help out. So he got here, and I didn’t know what to say to him, so I told him that I just needed to finish this job and that everything between us could go back to normal. But… that’s not going to happen now.”

“So you did cheat on him,” Chanyeol stated.

“I guess I did,” Kyungsoo said, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed and feeling a bit lame at the moment. “I didn’t think I had because it felt like such a gray area, but… maybe that’s what I told myself so I could justify being with other people because I really have a hard time with loneliness. I wish I was more like you in that respect.”

“It’s a learned behavior,” Chanyeol said, looking down at his feet for a minute as he rubbed the toe of his shoe against the concrete and then looked up again. “You’ll get there.”

Kyungsoo didn’t think he wanted to get there, but then again, maybe Chanyeol knew that loneliness was something he needed to embrace.

“So, why did you want to see me?” Kyungsoo asked him, maybe a bit too hopeful once again.

“I have information for you,” he said, so casually that Kyungsoo felt he must have not heard him right.

“You do? And you still want to share it with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Chanyeol said, looking him in the eyes. “I told you I would help you out.”

“Yeah, but… I would understand why you wouldn’t want to help me out anymore.”

“I wasn’t expecting what we were doing to go further after all this was over,” Chanyeol said. “I don’t get attached to people for a reason.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, pushing his bottom lip out a little as he considered that it’s not like he was expecting it to go further after everything was over either. Or, that would’ve been the case if he had thought about the future, but all he had been thinking about was the present and how much he enjoyed Chanyeol’s company in every single way. “Okay. Um, so, what’s the information?”

“Let’s go sit somewhere,” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo followed him to some unoccupied hammocks, and Chanyeol let himself sink into one before pulling himself up to sit. Kyungsoo did the same and sat facing him.

“I knew I wasn’t going to get any information from my father,” Chanyeol began, “but then I thought of someone that I could probably get something out of. So, I hung out at my dad’s company until I saw one of my father’s business partners that I hadn’t seen in a while. I went up to him, telling him how it had been a long time since we’d seen each other and that we should catch up. Last night we met up for drinks, and I knew about how many shots of soju to get in him before I started asking questions.”

Kyungsoo was impressed, “Wow. I don’t know any of my parents’ business partners in a way where I’d ask them to drinks.”

Chanyeol looked at him a moment, sucking his bottom lip in, and then saying, “We had a thing.”

“What?” Kyungsoo knew his eyes had to be bulging out at that moment.

“It was a small thing. But anyway…” Chanyeol tried to go back to the information, but Kyungsoo stopped him

“No, I wanna hear about the thing,” Kyungsoo insisted. “Tell me about the thing.”

Chanyeol ran his hand through his hair, looking a little shy, but he relented and explained.

“I was home on break from my first master’s program, and I was in my dad’s office getting berated for yet something else. I stormed out and tried to calm myself down, pacing in the hallways, and he spotted me and asked if I was alright. I told him I was fine. He said something along the lines of how he had heard I’d be back for a couple of weeks. He asked me how my master’s was going. I told him it was fine. And then, out of nowhere, he tells me that his wife and kids are in Taiwan on holiday and that I should come over.”

“What the fuck?” Kyungsoo said, completely intrigued and horrified at the same time. “And you went?”

“At the time, I was a little pissed with my dad, so I thought it would be a good way to stick it to him, no pun intended, by hooking up with his business partner. It only lasted the week, and I never really saw him after that.”

“I can’t believe you hooked up with a married man who was probably twice your age and is your dad’s partner. That is scandalous. You really do like them older.”

Chanyeol’s cheeks were a bit pink and he ducked his head down a little. “Older men like me,” Chanyeol defended. “And I like men that like me.”

“I like you. Does that count then? I’m not a married older man or anything, but I feel I should count,” Kyungsoo said, finding it hard to not tease Chanyeol about this.

A shy smile played on Chanyeol’s lips, and he said, “You definitely count. But you should still figure your shit out.”

“I’ve been working on that,” Kyungsoo told him, hating to return to the sobering topic. “Jongdae and I are officially broken up. Jongin and I are still friends. I still need to figure that whole thing out, but I know that I need to stop using him for my own needs, so I’m not going to anymore.”

“That’s good,” Chanyeol nodded.

“And you,” Kyungsoo continued. “I wasn’t using you. It’s why I came clean and was honest with you about what I knew and what I needed to know. I really do like you. And I never thought about what would happen after all this was done, but hearing you say that you weren’t expecting it to go further doesn’t sit right with me.”

“You shouldn’t take it personally,” Chanyeol told him. “I don’t trust people, and that’s not something that’s going to change any time soon.”

“It sounds like I’m not the only one that needs to figure my shit out then,” Kyungsoo challenged him.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, looking out at the river for a moment and then back at him. “So, do you want to hear what I found out or not?”

“Yes, tell me already,” Kyungsoo said, giving him an eager look that made Chanyeol chuckle.

“So, my dad, Mr. Hae, and Mr. SamSa had a falling out over the Samjogo Hotel. Apparently my dad and Mr. Hae had come up with a plan to use the SamSa funds for a new condo development project, but then cut him out of it altogether once they got the money. Mr. SamSa found out and confronted them about it, and they made it clear that he wouldn’t be able to stop them. So, Mr. SamSa put a curse on the building site so that my dad and Mr. Hae could never build on it, and then he killed himself.”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, having heard a lot of crazy things in his life, but finding he could only show disbelief at the moment. “That’s insane.”

“Yeah, so, I asked him where this cursed building site was, and… well, you’ve probably guessed the answer to that.”

“I’m so confused,” Kyungsoo said. “Mr. SamSa was capable of casting a curse that created five poltergeists? What?”

“I mean, these are men who believe in haunted boxes, so…”

Chanyeol had a point, but Kyungsoo still found it crazy that some big corporate guy was capable of unleashing five poltergeists into the world.

“He must have had someone do it for him,” Kyungsoo said, thinking through it, “or, he hired some sort of medium or necromancer or something.”

“I’ll save you the trouble of trying to figure it out,” Chanyeol told him. “Mr. SamSa knew that the reason that Mr. Hae was trying to screw him over was because Mr. SamSa had something that Mr. Hae desperately wanted.”

Kyungsoo felt his stomach drop.

“Mr. SamSa stole my family’s box?” Kyungsoo asked anyway.

“According to… uh, my contact we’ll call him, my father knew that Mr. SamSa had it, which is the only reason he went into business with Mr. Hae. My father wanted to get his hands on it first. His rationale was that if he had both boxes, then he’d be doubly powerful, or really, more powerful than his rival, Mr. Hae. Naturally, Mr. Hae wanted it so he could increase his power.”

“I hate these people,” Kyungsoo said, massaging the side of his head in worry.

“I don’t blame you,” Chanyeol said, then continued, “So, my contact explained to me that Mr. SamSa decided to unleash the spirit inside of it to protect the site from them. So that’s what we’re dealing with at the site. The spirit in the box that belongs to you is really pissed off and not letting anyone near it.”

“That’s why he needs the key,” Kyungsoo said, now understanding. “If he can get the key, he can lock the spirit back up in the box. Wait, that’s probably how he can control it to get the power he wants.” Now Kyungsoo’s mind went to serious work as he tried to think through it.

“Yeah, unfortunately my contact didn’t know anything about a key. He had never heard my father mentioning one in relation to the box. Also, I went searching all over the house yesterday for a key of some kind, and I couldn’t find anything.”

Kyungsoo thought about all of this and had a theory, “Your dad probably doesn’t know about the key. I bet Mr. SamSa didn’t either. He probably couldn’t control it because he didn’t have the key. I bet he wasn’t trying to unleash it against your dad and Mr. Hae. I bet he was trying to use it and it ended up backfiring on him, in the process unleashing an angry spirit that probably sent him to his own death. Mr. Hae probably realized that and started doing more research into it, finding out about the key, but obviously, he wouldn’t tell your father about it.”

“Wow,” Chanyeol said, looking at him impressed. “That sounds very probable.”

“Did your contact mention how Mr. SamSa got my family’s box?”

“He didn’t,” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo looked at Chanyeol feeling a number of emotions toward the man at that moment, gratitude being the largest.

“Thank you so much for finding all that out,” Kyungsoo told him, wanting to reach out to touch him, but keeping his hands on his lap, “even if it meant having to hang out with an old flame.”

“He’s not an old flame,” Chanyeol said, getting embarrassed again.

“Did you hook up with him again after getting all this info?” Kyungsoo really wanted to know.

“No!” Chanyeol said. “Just drinks. That was all. I made sure he got an Uber home because he was wasted.”

“I’m not judging…”

“You’re totally judging,” Chanyeol said, dropping his face in his hands.

Kyungsoo did reach out then, but just to pat him on the shoulder as he said, “I’m too screwed up to judge anyone else for their bad decisions.”

“That’s true,” Chanyeol said looking up at him, and he gave him a small smile. “It’s really nice to have met another person that’s screwed up.”

“Same,” Kyungsoo nodded, “I was thinking about this yesterday, and I blame our boxes. Our boxes have screwed us over and screwed us up in the process.”

“I believe you,” Chanyeol said, letting out a soft sigh. “So then let’s go destroy them.”

“Well, we have a shitty plan for trying to destroy mine. I’m not sure how we could destroy yours with it being in a fancy warehouse with a fancy butler slash curator.”

“Oh, yeah, don’t trust that guy,” Chanyeol told him.

“I kinda figured that.”

“He’s my father’s lackey. My father hired him initially to keep an eye on my stepmother. He reports everything she does back to my father, and then my father uses it all against her when he thinks she’s getting out of line.”

Kyungsoo looked at Chanyeol horrified.

“I know,” Chanyeol said nodding. “My father’s not a good person.”

Kyungsoo observed Chanyeol for a moment as he looked down with a shrug.

“Do you love him?” Kyungsoo asked. “I mean, I know you don’t think he loves you, or you know he doesn’t, but do you love him?”

Chanyeol looked back up and over at the river, taking a moment as if needing to think through the question.

“I mean. He’s my father, and I want him to stop being like this and start being a good person and an actual father to me. But, the man who he is, who he’s been my whole life, no, I don’t love him. But I did love my mom. And I tell myself that that’s enough.”

“It is,” Kyungsoo assured him, reaching out to take his hand and give it a squeeze. “And she loved you enough for both of them, so there you go.”

“She did,” Chanyeol nodded with a smile, squeezing Kyungsoo’s hand back. “So now what?”

“Well, we’ve gotta find this key before Mr. Hae or your father does,” Kyungsoo said, thinking through what he had learned, “but at least now we know that the old spirit that Baek felt is the spirit in the box. And if the spirit in the box is the one creating the poltergeists, then all we need to do is take out the spirit in the box. Maybe we don’t need a key to do that. Maybe we go in and start to get rid of the spirit and I can have Jongin keep looking for the key just in case.”

Chanyeol let out a frustrated noise, and when Kyungsoo looked at him with a questioning glance, Chanyeol whined.

“He’s a god, why can’t he just find the damn key?”

“It’s really not how it works,” Kyungsoo chuckled.

“How is he even a god? Is he a real god? Was he born a god?”

“Probably,” Kyungsoo said, so amused by Chanyeol’s mini temper tantrum. “He, well, one day he decided he was going to be a god, and then he was one.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked. “So I can just say that I’m a god and be one?”

“You could try, but if the gift isn’t inside of you, then you won’t be. It’s one of those things you just know about yourself. He wanted to help me out, he knew he wasn’t an angel or a demon, and he felt that he was more of a god, because, as it turned out, he was.”

“This sounds fake.”

“You don’t have to believe it. A lot of people don’t believe in gods.”

“Wait…” Chanyeol said, looking at him with narrowed eyes, “I see what you did there.”

“What did I do?” Kyungsoo asked, coyly, blinking his big eyes innocently.

“You know what you did,” Chanyeol told him. “I’m not going to talk religious philosophies about Jongin when he’s not actually a god.”

“But he is a god.”

“Nope, I say he isn’t.”

“That’s fine,” Kyungsoo said, and then he smirked, “I don’t have a problem with atheists.”

“You are such a brat,” Chanyeol said, giving him a poke in the tummy that made Kyungsoo gasp and then laugh.

Kyungsoo would have loved to have spent the rest of the afternoon in the park with Chanyeol, teasing each other, talking, touching each other again, but unfortunately, with the new information he had, he knew he needed to tell the rest of the group. So, he pushed himself up from the hammock and then took Chanyeol’s hand to help him up.

“We have to meet with everyone about this,” Kyungsoo explained. “Now that we know what we’re dealing with, we don’t have time to waste.”

“Am I still invited?” Chanyeol asked, once he was on his own two feet and towering over Kyungsoo once more. “I’m not sure Jongdae or Jongin would necessarily want to see me again.”

“Jongin’s fine, but… well Jongdae doesn’t really want to see my face either, but he’s sticking around to help out, so either way.”

“I don’t want to make things worse for the two of you,” Chanyeol told him.

“It wasn’t your fault to begin with,” Kyungsoo reminded him. “If anyone makes things worse, it’ll be me, and I’m planning on not doing that. It’ll be fine. They should hear all this from you anyway.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo texted Jongin, and then realizing that Jongin’s apartment should probably still be off limits, he pushed Chanyeol so that he stumbled back onto the hammock.

“What the hell?” Chanyeol asked.

“I just decided I don’t want to leave, so I’m having them meet us here.”

“You could have just said that instead of pushing me,” Chanyeol said, and he grabbed Kyungsoo’s arm to pull him down onto the hammock with him.

Kyungsoo didn’t even bother to struggle, falling nicely right into the perfect position to be safely hugged by Chanyeol’s arm. He looked up at Chanyeol and didn’t stop himself from kissing him, quick enough to hopefully not be noticed by others in the park, but soft enough to let him know that he had missed him.

Chanyeol smiled at the kiss, and held him closer.

“They shouldn’t catch us like this,” Kyungsoo said, having the sense at least to know that. “I’ll text them in ten minutes.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Chanyeol said, moving his body to better fit with Kyungsoo’s as they lay in the hammock together, cuddled up as much as they could.

***

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had gone to the convenience store at the park, picking up ramen and sodas, figuring they could eat while they waited for everyone to arrive. They decided to enjoy their food on the grass under the shade of a tree.

“So, there’s something I need to fill you in on,” Kyungsoo said as he savored the ramen. He wasn’t sure how to even explain the concept of watchers to Chanyeol, but he did his best and Chanyeol listened to each word with the same astonishment and interest he had expressed when learning about everything else that came with ghost hunting.

“So, it’s just an omen,” Chanyeol said, once Kyungsoo felt he had done his best. “It doesn’t mean it will happen.”

“But it probably will,” Kyungsoo warned him.

“But it hasn’t yet,” Chanyeol pointed out. “And it’s been three times. Third time was the charm and your watcher missed it. He sucks at his job.”

“Let’s not provoke it,” Kyungsoo said. “Also, they don’t have a gender.”

“Fine, it needs to go away,” Chanyeol stated. “If you see it again, let me know, and I’ll make it go away.”

“Really?” Kyungsoo asked amused. “How?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to make that my job in the group. I still don’t have one. It might as well be that.”

Kyungsoo let him entertain the idea. It wasn’t like anything really could be done anyway, so they might as well have the fantasy.

They finished up their food and headed to the large steps under the Wonhyo Bridge, figuring it’d be a good place for everyone to meet and sit around to have their discussion.

Sehun and Junmyeon arrived first, which was fortuitous, because Jongdae joined right after. Kyungsoo should have anticipated Jongdae’s timely arrival since his aunt’s place wasn’t far from the park.

When Jongdae had walked up, he had nodded his greetings to them, then eyed Chanyeol for a moment before sitting down next to Sehun and Junmyeon. Kyungsoo bit his lip. An exorcist choosing to sit closer to a demon over a particular human was a pretty good way to say “fuck you” to that person.

“At least the weather’s nice today,” Kyungsoo said, needing Baekhyun to show up already to get rid of the awkward tension in the air.

“It is,” Sehun said with a smile, and he looked at Junmyeon. “We should do a picnic here sometime.”

“If you want to have a picnic, we will have a picnic,” the demon said to him with an earnest nod and expression, and Sehun smiled even more, his eyes crinkling into slivers that made Junmyeon smile wider.

Kyungsoo sighed. Jongdae looked down. Chanyeol cooed.

Thankfully Jongin, Irene, Baekhyun, and Yixing arrived just a short bit later, with Taemin and Seulgi in tow.

“Hey, long time no see,” Taemin said, exchanging a hug with Kyungsoo, and then Jongdae, before looking at Sehun and saying, “You I saw yesterday,” and rubbing his head instead.

Kyungsoo greeted Seulgi as well, who then introduced herself to Chanyeol, causing Taemin to come over and do the same.

“Figured since they were going to be helping us, they should be here for the meeting,” Jongin explained.

“Good idea,” Kyungsoo said, letting everyone settle on the steps.

“Look at all these menus I got,” Baekhyun said, sitting beside Jongdae, excitedly waving his menu collection in the air. “I’m going to order all the foods.”

“You need a Korean phone number though,” Jongin pointed out.

“I have one,” Chanyeol said, “If you want to order, you can use my phone.”

“We’ve found your calling!” Baekhyun said pointing at him excited. “You are the provider of Korean phone service!”

Kyungsoo chuckled at him, grateful so much at that moment for his friend’s presence.

“I’ll use my talent well,” Chanyeol said with a laugh.

“Okay, what does everyone want?” Baekhyun asked, passing around the menus.

The friends all discussed food options, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol saying they were fine since they had just eaten ramen, and Jongdae saying he was fine because he had just eaten at his aunt’s place before coming over.

After deciding on what they wanted, Baekhyun had Chanyeol place the orders for them, and then Kyungsoo stood up so that he could start telling them the bad news.

“So, we have a deadline,” Kyungsoo started, “but, we now know what we’re dealing with for the most part. Chanyeol’s going to share with you guys what he learned.”

Kyungsoo sat back down and nodded at Chanyeol, who decided he didn’t need to stand up to tell them. Kyungsoo figured that was a privilege tall people could afford.

The team all listened to Chanyeol as he explained the falling out between the three CEOs from his family’s perspective and about how Mr. SamSa had used Kyungsoo’s family’s box to curse the site, probably accidentally.

“That explains the old spirit,” Baekhyun said.

“Exactly,” Chanyeol said.

“So, all we need to do is take out the spirit that’s controlling the poltergeists,” Jongdae said.

“Not exactly,” Irene said, looking as if she was about to give them some bad news.

“Why ‘not exactly’?” Kyungsoo asked her.

“Seulgi and I did major recon at the site yesterday. We sent our drones in and dropped meters and cameras all around,” Irene explained, and then she pulled out her tablet from her backpack and used her stylus to draw a big rectangle. “So, this is our site.”

Kyungsoo and the others watched as she drew little squares inside.

“This isn’t to scale,” she explained, “but this is about how many houses are on the site. They’re pretty close to each other, most are two stories, the rest are one story except for the big three-story one in the center,” Irene said.

“Great,” Kyungsoo said, knowing it couldn’t have been easy.

“It gets worse,” Irene told them, “The houses close to the perimeter have a low-level energy in them as well. Not poltergeists, not even ghosts. Nothing we can make out from what we know, but it’s almost as if they’re a barrier to keep everyone from getting past them to the houses in the middle.”

“So we have to figure out how to get past that first,” Kyungsoo nodded. “Got it.”

“It gets worse,” Irene said again. She put “x” marks on four houses, and then a big “X” on the one in the middle of them. “Five poltergeists. Five houses. The five houses with the poltergeists are in the middle of this site, with the largest one, a three-story home, dead center.”

“Okay, so we’re going in deep to get where we need to,” Kyungsoo nodded again. “Got it.”

“It gets worse,” Irene repeated, and Kyungsoo snapped.

“Stop doing that. Just spill it,” he said with a whine.

“That three-story home has the biggest, most powerful poltergeist, plus, what we now know to be the old spirit in your box controlling it.”

“It gets worse,” Kyungsoo said before she could, “The box and spirit are probably on the third floor, so we’ll have to climb all the way to the top.”

“That I don’t know,” Irene shrugged, “but knowing our luck, you’re probably right.”

“It seems like once we get past that low-level energy barrier,” Sehun pointed out, “we could just focus on that middle house.”

“Unfortunately not,” Irene said, drawing a line from each of the four houses to the other to make a square. “Due to the strong poltergeist energy in these houses, another barrier has been formed between them, blocking us from the central house that we need to get to. We can see if taking out one poltergeist breaks the entire barrier, but again, based on our luck, I’m thinking taking out one weakens it, and so on, until all four are gone.”

“Yeah, sounds like us,” Baekhyun nodded. “And it gets worse, right?”

“Well, the poltergeist in the middle house is stronger than the four surrounding it combined. But make it through that one and all we’ve got left is one angry spirit,” Irene said with a fake smile and thumbs up.

Kyungsoo crossed his arms and tried to digest all of this information, and then he said, “We’ll want to take out at least two poltergeists to see if that weakens the house barrier enough to let us through. Should we do opposing houses or two that are next to each other?”

“I think breaking the balance would make it weaker,” Sehun said.

Kyungsoo nodded, “Okay, so Jongdae and Baekhyun will work on the first house we reach and you’ll have to tackle whichever house is closest to it. What help do you need to distract the poltergeists? It’s too dangerous to do alone.”

“I can handle it,” Sehun told him. “Junmyeon’s recruited another demon to help, so the three of us should be able to manage.”

“How did you get another demon’s help?” Irene asked surprised. “Demons aren’t known for helping us humans out. Except Junmyeon of course,” she said with a smile toward him.

“It is true,” Junmyeon said. “I am only helping because Sehun wishes it.”

Sehun gave a shy shrug then said, “There’s a young demon that likes to follow Junmyeon around wherever he goes, so he asked it if it wanted to help him out and it said it would.”

“It is currently looking for a human to inhabit,” Junmyeon informed them.

“Uh….” Jongdae said, “Is that necessary? Can’t it just help out in demon form instead of taking someone’s body?”

“It insisted to help like I do, so it would rather take human form to better emulate me,” Junmyeon explained.

“Wait,” Chanyeol said, looking at Sehun, “was Junmyeon in demon form when you met him or was he in human form?”

“He was in demon form,” Sehun said. “I was working this job here in Seoul where I kept conjuring the same demon over and over. But unlike other demons, I found this one to be soothing and pleasing. I enjoyed its company so much that I kept going to the same site to visit it and practice new techniques. Then one day, as I sat in my circle, I closed my eyes and practiced some spells, waiting to feel its presence, and when I did, I opened my eyes, and then I almost fell backwards in shock.”

“At first, I had thought he did not approve of the human form I had taken on,” Junmyeon continued the story. “I told him that I had sensed in his mind that he would prefer a male human form, but that if he wished, I could change it to a female form, or one that was both, or one that was neither.”

“I was so shocked that he was in human form that I couldn’t talk for like a minute,” Sehun said, wide-eyed as if reliving the moment. “But then I told him that he had picked a perfect human form and that he was beautiful. I asked him why he took on a human form, and he told me that he wished to be with me as much as I seemed to wish to be with him, and now here we are.”

“I love this story so much,” Baekhyun said.

“I do too,” Chanyeol nodded in agreement. “I’m so happy that you guys found each other.”

“Just remember to invite us all to the wedding,” Irene told them.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong,” Baekhyun said, “It’s not as great of a story as when I almost died only to wake up to find myself being straddled by an angel, but it’s still a good story.”

“Oh my God,” Seulgi said, cracking up as she clapped her hands.

“You’re stupid,” Irene said, reaching up a step to smack Baekhyun’s head.

“It was the position I had to take in order to assure that your heart would beat correctly,” Yixing told him.

“That’s his favorite position,” Jongin said with a cough, and everyone died of laughter.

Kyungsoo laughed as well, but then he got them back on track.

“Okay, so, Sehun and the two demons will do their best to hold off the poltergeists. I’ll go in first with cameras and equipment, which Irene and Seulgi will monitor from an off-site facility.”

“If by off-site you mean the unmarked white van I’ve already rented and parked across the street, then yeah, that’s where we’ll be,” Irene told him.

“You could have set up at Jongin’s,” Kyungsoo said. “You know, where it’s safer?”

“And if we have equipment failure I’m too far away to do anything?” Irene threw back. “Nope, we’ll be nearby just in case.”

“Let’s go back to that part of the plan where you said you’ll go in first,” Jongin said, using his finger to indicate they needed to rewind. “You are not going in first.”

“I’m the only person that can go in first,” Kyungsoo said. “It’s my job as the hunter to survey the situation and report it to the rest of you. There’s no other ghost hunter here, so who else could it be?”

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol said. “I’m going to go with him.”

“Uh…” Jongin said, and the others looked at Chanyeol as if he had lost his mind.

“No, I am,” Chanyeol told them. “He told me about the watcher thing before you guys got here, and I told him that I’ll protect him. I’m making that my talent. Well, that and my phone services,” Chanyeol said, probably to lighten up the mood and to get all their dubious and concerned looks at him off their faces.

“It’s too dangerous for a muggle,” Irene said, shaking her head.

“Aren’t you technically a muggle?” Chanyeol asked her.

“Which is why I’ll be in a van across the street,” Irene pointed out, “not in the middle of it all. You can’t go with him.”

“Irene’s right,” Jongin said. “It’s too dangerous, and we don’t need your dad coming after us, too.”

“But he’s going to need someone to help him with his gear inside right?” Chanyeol continued to try, “Kyungsoo’s not going to have time to do that all alone.”

“Taemin’s got a lot more experience with that,” Seulgi pointed out. “It probably makes more sense for him to go in with Kyungsoo.”

“I can do that,” Taemin nodded.

“Uh, no,” Kyungsoo said. “If my life is at risk, I’d rather take my chances with Chanyeol.”

“Oh come on,” Taemin whined. “It was one time.”

“One time?” Kyungsoo asked incredulously. “Which one time? The one time you set my shoelaces on fire because you thought it would invoke a spirit? The one time you and Jongin spent three hours trying to figure out how to unlock your phone before you realized it wasn’t your phone? The one time you offered to help a woman get her cat out of the tree, and I thankfully showed up in time before you and the cat both fell to your untimely deaths?”

“The cat would have probably survived,” Jongdae pointed out.

“I’m like a cat,” Taemin said with a grin. “I have nine lives, too.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo said, “I’ve seen you go through eight of them. I’ll go in alone.”

“I’m going in with you,” Chanyeol said. “I mean, let’s be real, my family’s part of the reason you’re in this mess in the first place, right? The least I can do is help.”

“The three of us will go,” Taemin said. “In fact, Chanyeol and I can focus on getting all the readings while Kyungsoo investigates.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Seulgi said, and Kyungsoo watched Jongin rub his forehead.

“If no one has a better plan,” Baekhyun said, “then it sounds like that’s our best strategy for now. So Kyungsoo, Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum will go in first, and get readings to report to the team while Kyungsoo investigates. Then Dae, Xing, Sehun, Junmyeon, and I charge in, go to separate houses, take out two poltergeists, and hope it weakens the barrier enough to make a run for it toward the house in the middle where we all combine our forces to take out that big poltergeist in the middle.”

“And then your combined forces can take out the spirit right after,” Kyungsoo nodded.

“The boss fight,” Chanyeol said with a smile. “Like at the end of a video game.”

“We are all nerds here,” Irene said. “We get the reference.”

“Right,” Chanyeol said even more excited. “But sometimes in games, the fight before the boss fight is the hardest. Maybe this will be like that.”

“Let’s hope so,” Baekhyun said with an encouraging fist pump.

“It’s us,” Irene said. “The boss fight will be the hardest.”

Baekhyun scoffed, “Please, that old spirit’s got nothing us. Once we take it out, we’ll run out of there, fly back home, and live happily ever after. We got this.”

“What about him?” Chanyeol asked, pointing toward Jongin, and then looking at Jongin and asking, “What are you going to be doing?”

“Looking for the key,” Jongin said. “In case all this backfires and we can’t really defeat the box spirit without it.”

“What if this all backfires and you don’t find the key?” Chanyeol then asked him.

“Let’s not find out,” Jongin said.

“I’ve been working with a parapsychologist that can help you with the key task,” Kyungsoo told him. “I’m just waiting to hear from my cousin on more information about it. Or any information at this point.”

Jongin nodded at him and then looked at everyone and said, “Sounds like we have a plan then.”

“It’s a crappy plan,” Baekhyun said, “but it’s our crappy plan, damn it.”

“Eh, we’ve had crappier,” Irene waved off. “I mean, Kyungsoo already has a watcher. What else can possibly go wrong?”

“Shh,” Seulgi said, “don’t tempt fate.”

“So to recap,” Jongdae said, “It’s a crappy plan. We’ve had worse. Taemin is a dumbass.”

“I own that shit,” Taemin said with a smirk of pride.

“So that’s that,” Baekhyun said. “Meeting’s over. Oh, look, perfect timing, here comes our pizza, which means I won the bet that the pizza would get here first.”

“Oh, come on,” Irene said, “Jajangmyeon doesn’t take that long to make. How did pizza beat it?”

Kyungsoo felt amused by his friends until Jongdae announced that if the meeting was done, then he’d be heading home. Even though Baekhyun tried to tempt him to stay by saying they had McDonald’s fries coming too, Jongdae told him he really should go and then put a hand up as a goodbye to everyone before leaving.

Kyungsoo watched him walk away, feeling guilt all over again and wondering if Jongdae had been thinking about not wanting to be friends with him after all this was over. Yesterday Kyungsoo had felt a bit more hopeful about it, but today he wasn’t sure considering Jongdae didn’t even want to hang out with them.

“Just give him time,” Jongin said, scooting down the couple of steps to sit by Kyungsoo. “Baek had a good talk with him on the phone earlier today, and he’s trying to work out a lot of his own feelings.”

Kyungsoo noticed Chanyeol move up the steps toward Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo appreciated that he had felt the need to give him and Jongin some space to talk.

“I’m such an asshole,” Kyungsoo said, running his hand through his hair. “I really did cheat on him. I kept telling myself it was a gray area, but the fact that it was a gray area meant it wasn’t completely over. I guess I’m like my father after all.”

“I’d say you’re more like your mother,” Jongin offered instead. “You didn’t do it just because you could. You did it because you needed something you weren’t getting at the time. Not that it makes it right, but I think it makes you less of an asshole. As opposed to me, who totally took advantage of his best friend’s vulnerability at a time when he probably could have used a best friend that didn’t come with the complication of benefits.”

“I didn’t see it as you taking advantage,” Kyungsoo told him. “I’m grateful that you were there for me. But you’re right that we’ve managed to make things complicated between us. I’m thinking we shouldn’t do that anymore.”

“You’re probably right,” Jongin said. “We’ll just be best friends without benefits from now on. I’m going to miss your dick.”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo said, hitting his shoulder and blushing a little. “Whatever, I’m going to miss yours, too.”

Jongin chuckled then looked at him, taking him in, and Kyungsoo felt the need to do the same.

“Anything else though,” Jongin said, “I’m still going to be by your side.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” Kyungsoo said, reaching out to rub Jongin’s shoulder. “You don’t have to be. But I appreciate it. I’m always going to be here for you too.”

“We’re going to pull this off,” Jongin told him. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we do. But if at any point you sense that things aren’t going down right, promise me you’ll get out of there. Promise.”

Kyungsoo squeezed Jongin’s shoulder then said, “I’ll do the best I can.”

Jongin had no choice but to take his answer. Kyungsoo had a watcher. There was nothing that could be done about that.

***

After all the food had disappeared and everyone went their separate ways, Chanyeol walked with Kyungsoo then mentioned he had driven there if he wanted a ride to wherever he was going.

“I was just going to go home and check in with my cousin,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Oh,” Chanyeol said. “I wish we had a hunt to go on.”

Kyungsoo laughed at him, “You’ve only been on two hunts and you’re already missing them. Maybe you are a ghost hunter after all.”

“It’s actually the part after that I miss,” Chanyeol said, the shyness returning as he scratched the back of his neck, “The part where we go back to your place and eat and hangout while waiting for something to pop up on the monitors.”

“So maybe a techie then,” Kyungsoo teased him. “Irene can train you well.”

“That sounds really cool actually,” Chanyeol nodded. “I wonder if she can train me tomorrow morning so I don’t screw everything up when we go in there tomorrow night.”

“You’ll be fine,” Kyungsoo assured him. “The only one that’s going to screw everything up is Taemin, but that’s par for the course.”

“You’re incredibly relaxed about all this,” Chanyeol noticed, then motioned for him to switch direction.

“I’m resigned,” Kyungsoo let him know. “And fed up. And seriously upset. My friends are putting their lives in danger for a dumb box. A box, Chanyeol? Do you know how ridiculous this all sounds?”

“As a fellow descendant of a dumb box, yes.”

“I just wish this didn’t have to be my problem,” Kyungsoo confessed. “I had enough issues to deal with before this happened.”

“Well, on the bright side, after you’re done with this, you can go back to tackling those issues, while I have to go back to being my father’s son and doing my best to avoid him.”

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo said, and then he bit his lip as he had a thought. “What do you think would happen if you did destroy your family’s box?”

“I don’t think I could,” Chanyeol admitted. “I think if I even tried, my father would kill me first. I have a feeling that the box is more important to him than I am.”

Kyungsoo knew Chanyeol was probably right, and he dropped the subject as they reached Chanyeol’s car.

“So where to?” Chanyeol asked him.

Kyungsoo thought it over and then smiled at him, “Someplace very you. You’ve come into my world, but I haven’t seen any of yours. I know you didn’t grow up here, but you were born here, and you did come home to visit. So take me to a place that’s yours.”

Chanyeol smiled at him and they both got into the car. They drove back across the river to the northern part of the city. Even though Kyungsoo tried to guess where Chanyeol was taking him to, Chanyeol just stayed silent, smiling at him, and not giving any clues.

They ended up at an ice cream shop, and Kyungsoo smiled as he walked in, taking in the fun décor of elephants and giraffes, along with other zoo animals, colorfully painted onto the walls.

“When I was little, they mostly only sold popsicles here,” Chanyeol explained, and he pointed toward the ice cream options, “But now they have all this really good ice cream. The strawberry one is my favorite.”

Kyungsoo could imagine a young Chanyeol eating his popsicle with the painted giraffe behind him.

“The green tea one is also good. I go back and forth between the two.”

“I want one of each then,” Kyungsoo told him, and Chanyeol smiled, buying them large versions of both to share.

They sat by the front, settling in and taking bites of their ice cream before Chanyeol pointed out the window to a building across the street that had a brick façade. It stood out against the more modern buildings beside it.

“That’s the elementary school I used to go to,” Chanyeol said. “My mom would come pick me up every day after school and bring me here to get a post-school treat.”

“That’s so sweet,” Kyungsoo said, wanting to coo.

“It’s the only school I liked. Back then everything was normal, or at least I thought it was. My mom would drop me off, I’d go about my day, I got along with most everyone in my class, I even had a few friends. I thought they would be my friends forever. But then my mom died, and when the school year ended, I never came back. I got shipped off to my first boarding school instead.”

“When you were that young?”

Chanyeol nodded, but didn’t add anything else to Kyungsoo’s insight.

“That must have been so horrible for you,” Kyungsoo said anyway, knowing he probably shouldn’t delve too deep but unable to keep himself from doing so.

“It was,” Chanyeol said, “but over time I accepted it and got used to it. I don’t know what type of person I would be if my mother was still alive, but with her gone, I became the person I am today, and I’m okay with that.”

“You became the independent nomad of my dreams,” Kyungsoo said, and Chanyeol blushed, then chuckled. “So, I’m guessing that your dad never picked you up from school and brought you here?”

“He wasn’t that kind of dad,” Chanyeol said, reaching his spoon over to the green tea ice cream. “Even back then, he never cared. I think only one picture exists of him holding me as a baby, and he looked pretty uncomfortable in it.”

Kyungsoo snorted. “I have a picture of my dad holding me in the hospital on the day I was born, and he looked scared shitless.”

“Probably because you were so small and he was scared you were going to slip through his fingers,” Chanyeol teased him.

“I wasn’t that small as a baby. Whatever, when you came out, were you just ears? Did your ears come out first and then the rest of you?”

“Did your eyes come out first and then the rest of you?” Chanyeol joked back. “Seriously, they take up your whole face. It was the first thing I noticed about you.”

“I get them from my mom,” Kyungsoo let him know. “I resemble her.”

“She must have been beautiful then,” Chanyeol remarked, and it was Kyungsoo’s turn to blush.

“Well, I’ve seen your dad, so I know you look like your mom,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“I do,” Chanyeol said. He pulled out his phone from his jeans pocket and tapped and scrolled before turning it around for him.

Kyungsoo did coo then, at a baby Chanyeol with the biggest ears ever, sitting on his mother’s lap as they posed for a casual picture on a couch.

“Your mother was also beautiful,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“I like this picture the most out of all the ones I have because she looks so happy in it,” he said, putting his phone back in his pocket.

“Did she not often look happy?” Kyungsoo took a little bit of the strawberry ice cream and mixed it with a little bit of the green tea ice cream to eat it as one, rather liking his impromptu flavor creation.

“She tended to look happy in pictures with me,” Chanyeol explained, “But I remember times when she didn’t seem as happy. I couldn’t tell you why though. I was too young.”

“I have a lot of weird memories of my parents as a kid too,” Kyungsoo told him. “I had the privilege of getting them for longer though, so it all became more clear as I got older and started to understand things better. There’s a lot about my parents I wish I hadn’t figured out or known, so it’s probably better that you didn’t.”

“Like your dad being a cheater?” Chanyeol ventured. “Jongdae had mentioned something that day that made it seem like that.”

“Both of my parents had their infidelity issues,” Kyungsoo nodded. “For different reasons. But they both always told me that no matter what, they loved me, so that was supposed to make it all better. I mean, it did. And now that I have my own adult issues, I get it.”

“Nothing’s ever black or white.”

“It’s true,” Kyungsoo said, and he paused to look at him for a moment, letting his own thoughts settle in his mind, and then he asked, “Do you think your dad was always like this?”

“He had no choice but to be,” Chanyeol shrugged. “His father was like that, so he got it from him.”

“He had a choice,” Kyungsoo philosophized. “You didn’t turn out like him. You chose to not be like him.”

“I don’t know if that’s true,” Chanyeol then said, looking back toward the elementary school across the street. “I do everything he wants me to, and I usually don’t ask why.” Chanyeol then looked back at Kyungsoo. “This is the most I’ve ever found out about why I was doing something. I think… I think I’ve always taken the ignorance is bliss approach because I knew that I probably wouldn’t like the truth if I found out what it was. Now I know I was right.”

“So, at the site, when the time comes, what are you actually supposed to do? What’s your father expecting you to do?”

“I’m not sure,” Chanyeol said frowning. “I don’t even want to tell him about the plan.”

“Tell him,” Kyungsoo said. “I told you before. Do what you’re supposed to do.”

“But I don’t want to put you or the others in more danger,” Chanyeol explained.

“I have a watcher,” Kyungsoo reminded him. “You couldn’t possibly.”

“That only applies to you,” Chanyeol said, pointing his empty spoon at him, then filling it with more strawberry ice cream. “Irene is a muggle. And Baek and Jongdae almost died.”

“How cute,” Kyungsoo said, his eyes squinting, “You call him Baek now.”

“You’re deflecting.”

“Although it’s sad that you don’t call Jongdae, Dae.”

“Do you think you’re allowed to call him Dae anymore?”

Kyungsoo lost the smile and pouted.

“Probably not,” Kyungsoo said.

Chanyeol shoved a spoonful of strawberry ice cream into his pout and Kyungsoo ate it and then twisted his lips to the side instead.

“I’m going to spend the rest of my life saying how much I can’t believe I screwed that up.”

“You really loved him, huh?” Chanyeol asked, scooping what was left of the strawberry into the green tea ice cream to mix it up for Kyungsoo to finish.

“I did,” Kyungsoo said. “I don’t know when that stopped. Or why. The last thing I remember was loving him, and now this.”

“Well, I hope you guys can be friends after it’s all over.”

“I hope so too,” Kyungsoo said, scooting the bowl between them so Chanyeol could help him finish it. “I know he told you what he did, about… well, making it seem like I’m superficial. I admit that I was attracted to him because he was the hottest exorcist in existence. But, as I got to know him, it wasn’t just that. That’s not why I stayed with him or really fell in love with him. It was more about his soul. I’ve always been convinced he’s really an angel and just hasn’t been called up for service yet.”

“Does that happen?” Chanyeol asked, eyes widening at the possibility, and Kyungsoo chuckled and lightly kicked his foot against Chanyeol’s.

“No,” Kyungsoo said, and Chanyeol looked a little deflated, but still amused, and tapped his foot against his in return.

“I want to learn all the cool stuff you know about all this. I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of it.”

“You’ll get your chance when you do this thing,” Kyungsoo told him, then felt that little ache in his chest that seemed to accompany his thoughts about it. “If you survive it. You know, you really don’t have to come in with me. You can stay with Irene in the van and help her monitor everything.”

“I do have to,” Chanyeol said. “And I want to. And there won’t be demons except the ones helping us, right? Because that demon thing was scary.”

“It wasn’t too bad,” Kyungsoo told him. “It just felt like an earthquake, right?”

“No, it was super scary,” Chanyeol said, eyes widening again. “Like it was this dark mass thing, and it kept getting bigger, and the way it looked at Jongdae…”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, his heart beating a little faster, “So you actually saw it.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, then looked at him confused, “Didn’t you?”

“It took me years of ghost hunting and running into them before I finally could see one with my own eyes,” Kyungsoo explained. “People generally can’t see beings that aren’t human. You have to be open to it, and believe in it, and even then it doesn’t mean you’ll see it. You saw a demon on your first try. That’s not normal. Unless you have a gift.”

“I told you I was going to protect you,” Chanyeol said. “I told you I had a gift.”

Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows and wanted to figure this out. Why could Chanyeol see demons?

“Maybe the parapsychologist I met should do tests on you instead,” Kyungsoo said, thinking more to himself.

“That sounds fun?” Chanyeol said, watching him, looking a little concerned too.

Kyungsoo tried to push the thought away and focus on Chanyeol instead, wanting to learn more about him before he lost the opportunity to do so. Chanyeol had made it clear that when they ended this quest, that would be the end of them too, but Kyungsoo liked the idea of extending it somehow. Watcher permitting.

“How long did it take you to stop missing your mom?” Kyungsoo asked him, taking the last bite of the ice cream and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“I miss her every day,” Chanyeol said. “I’m going to miss her forever.”

“Great,” Kyungsoo sighed. “So this isn’t going to get easier.”

“Sometimes you don’t think about it as much,” Chanyeol told him, “As time goes on. But it’s always there. And when you least expect it, it really hurts to think about.”

“I’m still at the part where it really hurts to think about. So I keep trying to distract myself with my leads,” Kyungsoo confessed.

“You need people,” Chanyeol said. “It’s easier for me because I don’t. But you seem to really need people around you and constant affection.”

“Constant affection?” Kyungsoo said, thinking that might be an insult, but then smirking and throwing it back to him. “I wasn’t the one that needed to be held after the demon.”

“I was scared. You need it even when you aren’t scared,” Chanyeol tossed back.

“Maybe I need it because I’m always scared,” Kyungsoo then said, turning his eyes downcast, not knowing why there were talking about him again when all he wanted to do was learn more about Chanyeol.

“What scares you?” Chanyeol asked him.

“This,” Kyungsoo said looking back up at him. “All of this. Life. The fact that we’re supposed to make connections with people just to have them ripped away from us. The fact that people threaten to kill others just to gain power. The fact that watchers exist and you can’t do shit about it.”

“But what scared you before all this?” Chanyeol then asked.

That was a question he hadn’t even been able to answer for his therapist. He had no idea why he felt the need to keep people close to him, or find comfort in them, or even sometimes use them when he was desperate.

“I don’t know. I just think I was born screwed up,” Kyungsoo said, placing their used napkins in the bowls to throw away.

“Maybe just a personality quirk then,” Chanyeol said with a soft smile. “No one’s perfect.”

“It’s true,” Kyungsoo said, his cheeks rising slightly, “But some people come close. Like Jongdae.” He pursed his lips to the side again.

“Your next boyfriend has a lot to live up to,” Chanyeol mused, tapping his foot against Kyungsoo’s again playfully.

“I think I’ll just take after you from now on,” Kyungsoo smirked. “I’ll play the field. Find all the older men in LA to spoil me.”

“You know you could do it too,” Chanyeol said, narrowing his eyes and judging him with a teasing shake of the head. “You’re so cute. It’s so easy for you to wrap all of us around your finger. It’s why you had so many of us at the same time.”

“I’m not cute,” Kyungsoo said, narrowing his eyes right back.

“You’re so cute it’s dangerous,” Chanyeol told him. “Anyone can fall for you.”

“Irene didn’t. She shut me down before I could even ask.”

“And yet here she is, having flown across the ocean to make sure you have a successful hunt.”

“Baek never wanted me,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“You never saved his life by straddling him,” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo busted out laughing.

At the hint of dusk, they threw their trash away and headed out, Kyungsoo finding it a bit chilly all of a sudden and wishing he had brought a jacket.

They headed across the street so that Kyungsoo could peek around the elementary school, long quiet for the incoming evening, but still possessing the qualities of activity from janitors and staff. It wasn’t hard to imagine the big-eared child playing around the courtyard with the other kids and thinking his biggest worry in life would be what flavor popsicle he’d get after school was done.

Once they were back at Chanyeol’s car, Chanyeol asked him once again, “Where to now?”

“I have no idea. We kinda killed our dinner with the ice cream.”

“Have you ever been to Namsam Tower?”

“A few times, when I was younger. It’s that place that family always feels they need to take us to when we’re visiting.”

Chanyeol chuckled, “Yeah, that place. I only went a couple of times as a kid. My mom would take me so we could ride the cable car and so I could run around the park. I never went again after she died. Never had a reason to.”

“Let’s go then,” Kyungsoo said. “I hear dusk is the best time to go. You get the day view and night view. Best of both worlds.”

“This is a better plan than our crappy plan for tomorrow night.”

“Sometimes we come up with good ones,” Kyungsoo said with a chuckle, and then they both got in the car.

Chanyeol drove them to the Seoul landmark that stood proud against the darkening sky. They took the cable car up, Kyungsoo watching the city move further away from him as Chanyeol stood behind him with his hand resting on Kyungsoo’s hip, comfortably looking at the view over his head. Once they had reached the top, they walked up the hill, taking the route through the many locks that had been placed all the way up, most engraved with initials, many with words of love, some with drawings.

“I made my mom buy me one to put up,” Chanyeol said as they strolled by the locks. “I have no idea where it is now.”

“What’d you write on it?”

“I told her I wanted my name on it, so she helped me write it.”

Kyungsoo said “aww” and then kept walking as he mentioned that he had never done one when visiting with his family.

They reached the main level and sat on the steps that looked out over the city, taking it all in as the shades of blue darkened and the lights of the city twinkled in the distance.

He held his arms crossed and tight, the air even nippier at that height.

“We should have brought jackets,” Chanyeol mused, rubbing his hands together.

“Didn’t anticipate this,” Kyungsoo said, “But I’m glad we did it. I’ve never really appreciated this city. I was born here, but I didn’t grow up here. Coming back on family vacations was fun, but when you’re a kid you don’t know, or understand, the significance of it all.”

“It’s true,” Chanyeol nodded. “After my mom died and I got shipped off to school, this stopped feeling like home. Now no place feels like home. But sitting here, like this, with you, makes me feel grounded, as if I was home.”

Kyungsoo wanted to give him a kiss for that, but he knew they couldn’t in public, so instead he took his hand and squeezed it, leaning into him just enough to get some of his warmth.

“After this is all done, I want to take you back home to LA with me and see if that makes you feel like you’re home too,” Kyungsoo admitted, and then he looked up at him with curious eyes, “Have you ever been?”

“LA? A couple of times. To check it out. It was okay.”

“Just okay? You didn’t go to the right places or do the right things then,” Kyungsoo told him. “LA is like that. Tourists visit and go to Hollywood and Santa Monica and think that’s all there is. You have to come back with me so I can take you to get great fish tacos and overpriced organic coffee, and take you hiking.”

“I think…” Chanyeol said, as if wanting to say the right words, “…maybe let’s just see if we survive tomorrow night.”

“Hmph,” Kyungsoo said with a small pout, “You really are planning on never seeing me again. Rude.”

Chanyeol smiled at his pout, and then lost the smile, looking down for a moment, and then back at Kyungsoo. “I told you. I don’t get attached for a reason.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo shrugged with a mischievous smile, “but exceptions also exist for a reason, and I like to think I make a good exception.”

“How did you get so good at flirting?” Chanyeol asked him, with his own amused smile. “I think this is your real talent.”

“It is,” Kyungsoo told him with earnest eyes. “Ghosts fall for me all the time.”

Kyungsoo shivered a little and tried to shake it off. Chanyeol stood up, not letting go of his hand as he tugged at it.

“They used to have popcorn inside the tower,” Chanyeol told him. “Let’s go find some and get out of the cold.”

“They still have it,” Kyungsoo said, getting up and feeling even chillier when Chanyeol let his hand go. “It’s always stale.”

“Ah,” Chanyeol nodded with a fond smile, “I do remember thinking that. But somehow it never stopped me from wanting it.”

“Same,” Kyungsoo said, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans to keep them warm as they walked toward the tower.

Once inside, they found a bustling epicenter of tourists, waiting their turn to ascend the tower and visiting the shops and cafés inside.

“We could go up,” Chanyeol mentioned, and Kyungsoo looked around at the families and thought to himself that it might be nice to check it out under these circumstances instead.

“Sure, why not,” Kyungsoo said.

They stepped back outside momentarily to buy tickets, Chanyeol insisting he pay, and then went back inside to get their popcorn and soda. They had to wait a bit before their time slot came up, half the popcorn devoured by both of them by the time they ascended to the observatory at the top of the tower.

They did one full lap around taking in the view, then sat on some observation steps, staring out at the darkening night from so high. Kyungsoo took a picture, and then put it on selfie mode.

“We need one together,” Kyungsoo explained to Chanyeol.

“Do we?” Chanyeol asked, putting his face close to his and giving a peace sign.

Kyungsoo smiled and took the picture.

“Yep, so I can always remember the hot guy that didn’t want me,” Kyungsoo told him, smiling at how the picture came out.

“Stop,” Chanyeol told him, throwing a kernel of popcorn at him. “You know I want you. I don’t buy ice cream and popcorn for people I don’t want.”

“Is this a date?” Kyungsoo asked, teasing him further, “Do you think I’m this cheap of a date? Ice cream and popcorn?”

“Don’t forget the ramen at the park,” Chanyeol teased back, “That put me out a whole eight bucks.”

“I’m not sure I’m going to invite you back to my place if you don’t spend at least a couple of more bucks on me,” Kyungsoo said, giving him too cheesy of a smile to be taken seriously. He had intended it to be another flirty smile, but he was enjoying the moment too much and got a little lost in it.

“I’m going to worm my way into your bed tonight anyway.”

“Was that your plan when you insisted on buying my ramen for me?”

“It was my plan when I first texted you today,” Chanyeol told him, his eyes challenging him.

Kyungsoo smacked his arm.

“What’s that for?” Chanyeol asked, rubbing it with a surprised look.

“I texted you and was worried I’d never see you again, and you weren’t even mad at me and made me wait too long to let me know,” Kyungsoo explained, smacking Chanyeol’s arm again.

“I was giving you time to work your shit out.”

“Don’t do that again,” Kyungsoo said, going for one more slap, but Chanyeol grabbed his hand, then brought it up to his lips and gave it a small kiss before letting it go.

Kyungsoo’s stomach flipped a little, and he lifted up the bucket of popcorn, which just had un-popped kernels of popcorn at the bottom.

“The popcorn’s gone. We should go home,” Kyungsoo pointed out, taking in the way the overhead light cast a shadow on Chanyeol’s face.

“Or we could get more,” Chanyeol teased, and Kyungsoo threatened to spill the kernels on Chanyeol’s head.

The tall man grabbed his wrist to stop him and laughed as he stood up, taking the bucket away from him to throw away.

They stood in the long line to ride the elevator back down, Chanyeol threading his fingers between Kyungsoo’s, Kyungsoo giving Chanyeol little pokes on the side to make him jump, Chanyeol pretending to step on Kyungsoo’s smaller foot, Kyungsoo tugging at the belt loop of Chanyeol’s jeans, until they finally made it onto the elevator.

When they got back outside, Kyungsoo’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out, seeing his cousin’s name pop up. He mentally reminded himself to get a picture of her next time that he could assign to her name.

“Hey,” he greeted her, eyebrows furrowing as he took the call, and Chanyeol watched him, “find anything out?”

“Not really,” Hye-jin said. “She told me the same thing she told you and kept talking about the flowers and how handsome this guy was.”

Kyungsoo sighed and stopped walking, placing his hand on his hip, “Did she say anything new at all? Anything I didn’t tell you?”

“Not that I could tell. I recorded it all and played it back for myself to make sure. The only other thing I got out of her was that the father of the man who gave it to her had come looking for it, but she had made sure to hide it well like she had been instructed to.”

“Interesting,” Kyungsoo said, not sure what he could do with that, but taking it anyway. “Can you try again tomorrow and maybe ask her if she passed along those instructions to my mother? Or if she even remembers why she gave the box to my mother in the first place?”

“I’m on it. By the way, how much are you paying me for this?”

“Bad connection, gotta go,” Kyungsoo said, hanging up and dropping his arm back down to his side. “She found nothing. My grandmother’s in a home because she’s… I don’t even know what she is. Mentally gone, I guess. But she’s the only one that would know anything about the key. We might have to go into this with only the crappy plan of trying to kill the spirit.”

“I don’t think it’s the worst idea,” Chanyeol offered. “I know you wanted to find the key, but if Mr. Hae wants the key for his own evil purposes, and you’ve already told him we’re going to take care of it, then we should probably do it before he catches onto the fact that you don’t have the key and are trying to kill the spirit instead.”

“That’s… a good point,” Kyungsoo said, putting his hands back on his hips as he bit his lip. “Shit, he has surveillance on me. He’s probably already thinking that’s what I’m going to do. Jongin and the parapsychologist can keep looking for it just in case, but we’re going to kill it. Mr. Hae is not gonna stop us.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, giving a little fist pump, and Kyungsoo raised his eyebrow at him. “If Baek was here, he would’ve done that.”

Kyungsoo cracked up at him and they started walking once more, taking the ramp down through the love locks again.

“When all this is said and done,” Kyungsoo said, “and before I leave Korea to head back home, you owe me one of these.”

“Do I? That might put me over budget for this date,” Chanyeol said, amused as he strolled beside him.

“I’ve seen your car and your Rolex. I think you can afford one.”

“I spent all the money I had left on the stale popcorn,” Chanyeol joked, but then he gave him a side glance and asked, “What do you want to write on it?”

“I don’t know yet,” Kyungsoo said. “I’ll figure it out before then.”

Chanyeol gave him a warm smile and they finally reached the cable car station, taking it back down to the city, and to the reality that by this time tomorrow night, they’d be preparing for their terrible plan.

“Where to next?” Chanyeol asked when they had returned to his car.

“My place,” Kyungsoo said, without hesitation. It was chilly out, and he wanted to be comforted in the warmth of Chanyeol’s long and safe arms.

From the moment they walked into the door to the moment they tumbled into Kyungsoo’s bed, their hands were on each other, as were their lips, making up for every lost opportunity of the day where they had been in public and couldn’t show each other the affection they had been coveting.

“So about demon sex…” Chanyeol smirked as he pulled off his jeans, and then Kyungsoo’s jeans because Kyungsoo was too busy laughing at the words to help out. “Shh, I’m serious,” Chanyeol said, nestling in between Kyungsoo’s legs as he looked down at him. “Is there such thing as angel sex?”

“No,” Kyungsoo told him, running his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair, loving the way it fell back into place so he could do it over and over again. “That goes against angel rules. Angels don’t have sex. That’s part of why Baekhyun and Yixing can’t be together like that.”

“Now I see why so many angels fall and become demons,” Chanyeol noted.

“Yeah, that’s my theory too,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“What about reaper sex?” Chanyeol then asked, and Kyungsoo ended up in a giggling fit that took many tender kisses to his tummy and chest to make him calm down again.

“Did you want to do more demon sex?” Kyungsoo asked him once he was breathing normally again, running his fingers down the bare skin of Chanyeol’s back and tracing every curve of each muscle that he encountered.

“Not… I mean… maybe a toned down version,” Chanyeol said, as if trying to figure it out in his head. “Just don’t make me choke you again.”

“I won’t,” Kyungsoo told him. “How about biting?”

“Biting? Like vampires?”

“Sure, like vampires,” Kyungsoo said, turning his head to expose his neck, “Make me yours.”

“You’re making fun of me aren’t you?” Chanyeol said, tickling his side, and Kyungsoo laughed as he curled up in defense of the tickle.

But then Chanyeol straightened him out again with brute force, pinning his wrists to the bed with his hands, so they were up by Kyungsoo’s head, and Kyungsoo bit his lip in anticipation, liking very much the idea of succumbing to Chanyeol’s strength.

Chanyeol seemed to understand Kyungsoo’s desires better than he did himself, commanding him to not move, telling him to ask permission for what he wanted, and pinning him down whenever he started to get too involved. Chanyeol knew how to take complete control over Kyungsoo’s being, and when Chanyeol finally entered him and bit down on his shoulder, Kyungsoo let out a cry of mixed pain and pleasure that had him cursing so loudly that he was certain he had summoned some demons.

After, when Kyungsoo couldn’t move from the exertion of so much pleasurable energy, Chanyeol let his fingers slide over the bite mark, looking a tad bit concerned.

“I broke skin,” Chanyeol said. “I tried not to, but I think I couldn’t help it. Do you have any hydrogen peroxide?”

“No, but it’s okay,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Hold on,” Chanyeol said, getting up from the bed and going to the bathroom.

Kyungsoo heard the water running in the sink, and then Chanyeol returned with a washcloth.

“I put soap on it,” Chanyeol explained, getting back onto the bed and kneeling so that he could apply the washcloth with just enough pressure to not hurt him more.

Kyungsoo hissed at the sting, and Chanyeol apologized.

Once Chanyeol was done and back by his side, the taller man rubbed his hand over Kyungsoo’s torso and asked, “Why do you like to be hurt so much?”

“It’s not that I’m being hurt,” Kyungsoo tried to explain. “It’s like, this is as close as I can come to being hurt without actually being hurt. I don’t know why it turns me on.”

“Some sort of faux invincibility,” Chanyeol surmised. “Probably what you like about ghost hunting in the first place. It’s exciting. Something dangerous could happen, but you’re subconsciously sure it won’t.”

“Maybe,” Kyungsoo said, his eyelids feeling heavy.

“You should find yourself a demon. Like Sehun did.”

“Maybe,” Kyungsoo said again, and this time his eyes stayed closed.


	3. Chapter 3

In the morning, as Kyungsoo looked through the clothes left in his suitcase, he realized that if they ended everything tonight, then he’d have packed just enough for his stay. He hadn’t been sure how long he’d be staying for, and he figured he’d hit up a laundromat at some point if it went too long, but maybe everything had settled the way it had for a reason.

Once he was showered and dressed, Chanyeol took his turn, putting on the same clothes he had on the night before, and Kyungsoo bit his lip, knowing that it would probably bother Jongdae. Just because they were broken up didn’t mean Kyungsoo needed to flaunt another night with Chanyeol in his face.

“Let’s go shopping,” Kyungsoo said.

“What?” Chanyeol asked, towel drying his hair a bit roughly.

“It’s a date thing,” Kyungsoo shrugged with a smile. “You took me on a cheap date yesterday, so I want to take you on a non-cheap date this morning.”

“Trying to show me up, huh?” Chanyeol smirked.

“Trying to show you off, more like,” Kyungsoo smirked back.

They walked the blocks to the heart of Hongdae, then hit up several stores. They paused their shopping so that Kyungsoo could buy Chanyeol frozen candied strawberries to enjoy for breakfast, and they walked together, sharing the strawberries on the stick, pointing out different stores that might have something.

“The problem for me,” Chanyeol mentioned, once they had stepped into another store so he could try on a shirt he liked, “is that nothing ever fits me. I’m too tall.”

“I have that problem too,” Kyungsoo joked, and stood back to assess how the shirt fit him. “I like how this looks on you.”

It was a nice lilac sweater, made from a light enough material to not be too hot for this spring day. It fit his torso just right, though it did come up a little short in the arms, exposing his wrists ever so slightly. But Kyungsoo liked Chanyeol’s wrists, so he didn’t mind.

“If you like it on me, then I like it on me,” Chanyeol told him.

Kyungsoo bought it for him, and then they ate some skewered fish cakes and continued to walk down the small streets of the Hongdae shopping district, bustling with people even though it was a weekday and many people were at work or at the nearby college.

They finally found a nice pair of faded jeans that were made for Chanyeol’s long legs, and Kyungsoo even bought him some cute socks he found that had giraffes on them.

“Giraffes remind me of you,” Kyungsoo explained when he handed them to him.

“Then you should buy a pair for yourself.”

“I did,” Kyungsoo said, showing him the smaller pair in his bag.

“I need an animal that makes me think of you,” Chanyeol said, just as they passed a store that had beanies with cute animals on the front.

They looked at the outside display, Chanyeol picking up one with a dog, and then a cat, placing it beside Kyungsoo’s face. Chanyeol shook his head saying it wasn’t the right one, and Kyungsoo watched him, amused and memorizing this moment to play it back for himself on lonely nights when he was back at his place in Venice Beach.

Kyungsoo then watched as Chanyeol picked up a beanie with a penguin, and he steeled himself for what he knew would come next.

“Oh my God,” Chanyeol said. “This is you. You’re a penguin.”

“I am not a penguin,” Kyungsoo tried, but he knew he’d lose the battle. He had lost it with all his other friends already.

“You are so a penguin. You even waddle. Why didn’t I ever think of this before?”

“I do not waddle,” Kyungsoo pouted.

“I’m buying all of them. So I have backups in case I lose one,” Chanyeol said, grabbing the whole stack of penguin beanies.

Kyungsoo sighed, but found Chanyeol’s excitement about the purchase too endearing to really be upset. That was until Chanyeol insisted on wearing it immediately. Kyungsoo pouted again, which made Chanyeol laugh and point out that he really looks like a penguin when he’s both pouting and waddling.

Time flew by too fast for them, and as they finished up their lunch at a pizza place, Kyungsoo received a call from Jongin to let him know they’d be doing their pre-hunt meeting in an hour at the site to work out logistics.

They headed back to Kyungsoo’s place so Chanyeol could change, Kyungsoo telling him that he couldn’t wear the penguin beanie in front of Jongdae just in case. Chanyeol said that he understood, but that he was wearing the giraffe socks no matter what. Kyungsoo gave him a kiss for that.

***

Chanyeol drove them to the site, and Kyungsoo didn’t have to be told when they had arrived. The energy emanating from it was palpable, and Kyungsoo now knew that nothing good would have come from having visited it on his own.

“My chest feels heavy,” Chanyeol said, rubbing it, and Kyungsoo nodded in agreement, rubbing his chest as well, not that it would do anything to alleviate the strong pressure that surrounded him.

They walked over to where his friends stood by the van and he greeted them, though with worry.

“This site is a lot worse than I expected,” Kyungsoo admitted, looking over at the houses that sat on the property surrounded by a green mesh fence to keep people from trespassing.

“We told you,” Baekhyun said, and then he introduced the woman standing next to him. “This is Wendy, the Canadian medium. And she didn’t run away when she got here and felt the bad energies, so that’s a good sign.”

“I’m even more curious now,” she said with a big smile.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Kyungsoo said to Wendy, whose hair was short and dyed a brownish blonde color that might have made her look a tad older than she actually was. “Thank you so much for helping us out with this.”

“No worries,” she said. “I was getting bored hearing my family tell me the same ten stories over and over.”

“Why do families do that?” Baekhyun said to her. “Families are so weird.”

Kyungsoo then turned his attention to the rather stunning tall woman with long black hair that stood beside Yixing. Baekhyun introduced her next.

“This is Joy,” he said with a big smile, and Joy gave a big smile as well. “She’s from the order of Powers.”

“The order of Powers?” Chanyeol asked.

“The order of angels assigned to keeping the order of our world in balance,” Jongdae provided, leaning against the van casually. “Because of that, they’re also known as warrior angels, since they fight against evil beings in our universe.”

“Oh, cool,” Chanyeol said.

“I thought one might be useful,” Yixing said.

“And you’re a guardian angel, right?” Chanyeol asked Yixing. “Do you guys have a cool name, too? Like the order of Powers?”

“We are from the order of Angels,” Yixing stated with a pleasant smile.

“They’re the lowest order,” Jongdae informed Chanyeol.

“Yet just as important,” Joy said with fondness.

“Wait, so there’s an order of angels just called… Angels?” Chanyeol asked, and Kyungsoo snickered. It was too cute. He couldn’t help himself.

“Yes,” Yixing told him, an amused twinkle in his eye as well.

“Oh, good, you’re here,” Irene said to Kyungsoo, coming out of the van with Seulgi, Taemin, and Jongin. “When we’re done with our meeting, I’ll go over equipment specifics with you.”

“Sounds good,” Kyungsoo nodded.

Sehun showed up shortly after with Junmyeon, looking as posh as always, and a young girl, who wore a short red and black plaid skirt and a T-shirt that said “Witches Only” on it. Her shoulder-length black hair was up in a pony tail and Kyungsoo found the scene amusing, as if Sehun and Junmyeon had a rebellious teenage daughter on their hands.

“What the…” Jongdae said, reaching for his crucifix, and Joy also seemed to be on alert, placing her hand up as if to guard against unwanted energy.

“It’s okay, they’re with us,” Baekhyun said to Joy. “Well, two of them are.”

“They’re on our side,” Sehun said, hurrying a little ahead of the demons and waving his hands for those who looked prepared for battle to stop whatever they thought they were going to do. “They’re with me. They’re here to help.”

“Demons helping?” Joy asked, looking at Yixing with surprise.

“I have discovered in my time here that some fallen brethren have not lost their original selves entirely,” he said to her with a smile, and she smiled back in acknowledgement and turned her gaze to them.

Baekhyun introduced Wendy and Joy to the newly arrived, and Sehun introduced his new demon in return.

“This is Yeri,” Sehun said as Yeri crossed her arms and looked at them all suspiciously. “She’s helping us out. Even if she doesn’t look like she is.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, raising his hand as if he was in school, “I have to ask. Junmyeon, what kind of angel were you and why did you fall? And what kind of angel was Yeri? And what order of demons are you?”

“Order?” Junmyeon scoffed, offended enough to tackle that question first, “It was order that made us all leave in the first place. Demons are free to do as they wish. We have no order.”

“Exactly,” Yeri said, agreeing as she looked Chanyeol up and down with a judgmental stare.

Kyungsoo chuckled.

“Oh, cool,” Chanyeol said, not taking any of it personally. “So, what order of angel were you? I’m just learning about them because I knew Yixing was a guardian angel, but now I learned that Joy is a… Powers? Is that right?”

Joy nodded at him.

“So, what were you?” Chanyeol asked him.

“I was of the order of Virtues,” Junmyeon answered, and Joy and Yixing both gasped and bowed their heads to him. “You do not have to do that anymore,” Junmyeon said, looked annoyed by the show of deference.

“Habit,” Yixing said, “Forgive us.”

“So Virtues are a big deal I take it?” Chanyeol asked looking between the angels and the demon.

“They are of the second sphere, the second highest group of angels,” Yixing clarified for him. “Virtues are the ones responsible for giving signs and performing miracles in this world. Their gift is very powerful.”

“When you ask for a sign or a miracle,” Kyungsoo explained, “and you actually get one. It’s a Virtues angel that gave it to you.”

“Amazing,” Chanyeol said to Junmyeon. “Why did you end up falling?”

“I was tired of being of the order of Virtues and felt I was better suited for the order of Dominions. Let us just say the higher ups did not like my ambition.”

“I hate when that happens,” Jongin nodded in understanding, and Kyungsoo snorted.

“And what about you?” Chanyeol asked Yeri.

“The order of Angels,” Yeri said, loosening up a bit as she attempted to mimic Junmyeon’s relaxed posture. “I was a messenger angel though, not a guardian angel. It was boring. I hated it, and the higher ups did not like my ambition either.”

“What about his guardian angel?” Chanyeol said, pointing to Jongdae. “You said his was a higher rank.”

“Yes,” Yixing said with a big smile. “Jongdae’s guardian angel is not of our order. His is of the order of Principalities. They are the highest order in our sphere, the third sphere, and rule over all of us in the third sphere. They are also the ones especially responsible for protecting those of the church, or those with the divine power of the church, as Jongdae has.”

“What about him?” Chanyeol then pointed to Jongin. “What angels protect gods?”

“Gods do not need the protection of angels,” Yixing said, his eyes slivers as if finding it charming to be asked such a silly question. “Gods protect us.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, losing his smile, and he looked at Kyungsoo and said softly so no one else could hear him, “Please tell me he actually has an angel or something protecting him.”

“Jongin will be fine,” Kyungsoo assured him.

“Welp, now that we’re done with Theology class,” Taemin said, “should we get started?”

“We’re waiting for one more person,” Kyungsoo said, checking his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed any messages.

Just then, a white Maserati with silver trims pulled up, and Jennie got out of the car, looking like she could be the high school nemesis of Yeri in a teen drama. She wore a pristinely white tennis outfit, even though her hair looked too immaculately in place to give the impression that she had actually been playing tennis.

“My morning match went a bit long,” Jennie explained as she joined them.

“No worries,” Kyungsoo told her, and he really wanted to ask her about this supposed match, but instead he introduced her to the crew. “Hey, guys, this is Jennie. She’s a parapsychologist who’s been help…”

“That’s no parapsychologist,” Jongin said, cutting him off, and Kyungsoo noticed how transfixed Jongin was on the faux tennis player.

“I mean, her tests didn’t work on me…” Kyungsoo agreed, “but she has a certificate.” Kyungsoo then noticed how Jennie looked a bit coy as she stared at Jongin with a mesmerized smile.

“I know a goddess when I see one,” Jongin said, stepping forward and placing his hand on his chest as he bowed his head to her. “And what a stunning goddess you are.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve met a god,” Jennie said, taking him in completely, from head to toe and back, “And a beautiful one no less.”

“My name is Jongin,” he introduced himself. “Please, come stand here away from the road. The curb is no place for a goddess,” he said, extending his hand, and she took it and thanked him as she stood beside him, still looking him over.

“Whaaaaat… the….” Chanyeol began, and Kyungsoo finished for him.

“Fuck?”

“This is so weird,” Baekhyun agreed.

“This is so over the top,” Irene said, looking bored by it already.

“I think it’s sweet,” Sehun said with a smile.

“Wait,” Kyungsoo said putting his hands on his hips, and then, because he didn’t know exactly how to convey his thoughts about this, he said, “Wait,” again.

“I’m Taemin by the way,” Taemin said, excitedly introducing himself to Jennie. “I’m a jack of all trades. Part-time techie, part-time ghost hunter, part-time Jongin’s best friend.”

“I’m all-the-time Jongin’s best friend,” Kyungsoo said, “and all-the-time a ghost hunter, and why didn’t you tell me you were a goddess?”

“You didn’t ask for my services as a goddess,” Jennie pointed out, “You asked for my services as a parapsychologist.”

“Gods and goddesses are the most insufferable,” Baekhyun said to Chanyeol. “That’s the rank. From most insufferable to least insufferable: gods and goddesses, reapers, demons, then angels.”

“I think mediums might be the most insufferable,” Irene said, “but that’s an argument for another time.”

“I meant of the others, not humans. Out of the humans, techies are the most insufferable,” Baekhyun pointed out.

“I think that’s true,” Kyungsoo had to agree.

“Necromancers are the least insufferable,” Junmyeon said with a smile toward Sehun, and Sehun smiled back.

“I take it back,” Irene said. “Necromancers in love with demons are the most insufferable.”

Kyungsoo saw Jennie glancing around, taking it all in, and he went ahead and introduced everyone to her with what their roles were, and then, he finally started the meeting.

“Okay, so this site sucks,” Kyungsoo said, looking at the houses across the street, and then back at the team assembled. “So, first, I want to just thank everyone for helping out. It means a lot to me that you’re all here, and I know that the level of talent in this team is enough to get us through this. Irene, do you want to brief everyone again for the sake of the new people?”

Irene nodded and took out her tablet again so she could run through the plan with those that had just joined them.

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo told her when she was done, and then he addressed the team again. “So that’s our crappy plan, but now that we have a few more people to work with, we can get better coverage. Jongdae and Baekhyun will work on the first house we reach and Sehun and Wendy can take on the next house closest to it.”

“I suggest splitting up the angels and demons for maximum protection and assistance,” Jongdae said.

“Yixing and Yeri,” Kyungsoo said, pointing to them more for his own frame of reference, “you guys will accompany Jongdae and Baekhyun’s team. Joy and Junmyeon, you guys will go with Sehun and Wendy.”

“In the meantime,” Jongin said. “Jennie and I are going to try and find this key.”

“I already texted you my cousin’s number,” Kyungsoo told Jongin. “Try and meet up with her and see if anything my grandmother told her makes sense to you.”

“Can we speak to your grandmother directly?” Jennie asked.

“Go for it,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “My cousin can get you guys into the place.”

“We’ll do that then,” Jongin said. “I do have a way with the older ladies,” he then added with a small smirk.

“I bet you do,” Jennie said, looking at him with wonder and not at all with the judgmental attitude she would have used on Kyungsoo had he been the one to say it.

This was so weird.

“I mean,” Jongin said, seeming to blush a bit, “I’m sure they’re just being nice.”

“Sehun and his demon wasn’t enough?” Irene said, throwing her hand up in the air. “Now we have to deal with this?”

“If you hooked up with gods, this could’ve been you,” Seulgi pointed out to her.

“I don’t hook up with gods,” Irene reminded her.

“Who exactly do you hook up with?” Chanyeol asked. “You always say who you don’t hook up with.”

“My boyfriend,” Irene told him. “I only hook up with my boyfriend. Because he’s my boyfriend.”

“And what does he do?” Chanyeol questioned further.

“He’s an accountant.”

Chanyeol smiled and nodded, then as if needing to inform everyone else, he said, “She hooks up with accountants.”

“Who are the most insufferable of all the humans,” Baekhyun joked, and they all cracked up.

Kyungsoo relaxed a bit and looked back toward the site. They could do this, and as he looked at all of his friends and those acquaintances that had volunteered to help, he believed in them and knew that if anyone could pull this off, it would be them.

“Let’s reconvene here at 10 p.m. Anyone have any questions?” Kyungsoo said, looking at everyone to see if anyone seemed to have one but didn’t want to say it out loud.

No one did, and the meeting finished.

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol followed Irene into the van, which had been set up with a wall of monitors and two chairs for Irene and Seulgi.

“I’m packing you guys up with a lot of gear, so let’s go over it so you know what you have and what to do with it.”

Kyungsoo spent the majority of the tutorial watching Chanyeol light up at each item, and thinking that if Kyungsoo had taken a shot for every time Chanyeol said, “cool,” he’d be too drunk to even step out of the van.

Once they had all the information they needed, Kyungsoo hopped out of the van and almost walked into Baekhyun.

“Oh, hey,” the medium said with a smile, “Are you guys done?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, “What are you still doing here?”

“Waiting for you. I was hoping we could talk,” Baekhyun said.

“Uh, yeah, of course,” Kyungsoo said, and he looked back at Chanyeol, who stood beside them.

“Um,” Chanyeol said, scratching the back of his neck as he looked at Kyungsoo, “I need to head to my dad’s office and update him on things.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded. “That’s part of the plan too, I guess. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ll be here at ten.”

Kyungsoo wanted to hug him goodbye, and kiss him goodbye, and flirt with him by telling him not to leave, but he just nodded, and then watched the man with the giraffe socks walk to his car. Kyungsoo then turned his attention back to Baekhyun.

“What’s up?” he asked the medium.

Baekhyun motioned for him to follow him around the corner so they could have some privacy.

“You seem to be holding up okay,” Baekhyun then told him. “Are you?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, wondering what this was about exactly. Whenever Baekhyun got serious, Kyungsoo always felt concerned. “Just want this all over with.”

“Yeah, me too,” Baekhyun nodded. “I know the last week or so you’ve been here has been crazy. You’ve been kidnapped, threatened, caught cheating, dumped, all while having a watcher hanging over your head. So that’s why I’m asking. Are you holding up okay?”

“Thanks for the checklist,” Kyungsoo said, and he ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m okay, Baek. Maybe when this is all over I’ll allow myself to have a nervous breakdown from it all, but right now I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun said, and he gave him a supportive smile. “I’m here for you, too. I know I’m no Chanyeol with his protective bravado, but I’m here.”

Kyungsoo reached out to squeeze Baekhyun’s shoulder and give him an amused half-smile, but then he lost it and took his hand off his shoulder to run it through his hair again.

“I’m okay, but is Jongdae? You’ve been talking to him, right?”

“Jongdae’s fine,” Baekhyun shrugged. “He’s hurt. He blames himself, you know?”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, his chest aching. “Why would he blame himself?”

“He thinks it’s his fault. He doesn’t know what he did wrong or why you stopped loving him, but he feels it’s definitely because of him. He really loved you. I mean, he still loves you. He’s trying to get over it, but it’s hard.”

“It’s not him at all,” Kyungsoo said, feeling horrible all over again about it. “He has to know that.”

“Either way,” Baekhyun shrugged, “he wants all this done too so he can go back home and move on from you and all of this. He said he’s considering becoming a priest.”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, horrified. “Why? No, that’s dumb. Why would he do that?”

“So he doesn’t have to worry about falling in love and getting his heart broken all over again,” Baekhyun told him. “He says he really admires Yixing and wants to follow in his footsteps.”

“Yixing’s not a priest. He’s an angel. He was born an angel. He didn’t have a choice.”

“Technically he has a choice,” Baekhyun pointed out, “but Yixing is a strict rule follower, and I think Jongdae is too, so I don’t think it’s such a bad idea. You’re just taking it personal because you don’t want to be the guy whose ex ended up becoming a priest because he cheated on him. But it’s his life, his choice, and you don’t get a say in that anymore.”

Kyungsoo knew that was true, but still, Kyungsoo wanted Jongdae to find love again. Preferably from someone who knew how to love in a normal, healthy way, as opposed to whatever it was that Kyungsoo did in relationships.

“This is such a mess,” Kyungsoo said. “Only I would create a mess this awful.”

“You know,” Baekhyun said, appearing to consider things, “I didn’t know about you and Jongin either, but after it all came out, I thought about how it made sense.”

“We ended that, too,” Kyungsoo let him know so that he didn’t waste his time telling him how screwed up it was.

“Oh,” Baekhyun frowned. “I’m sorry. Well, I was going to say it’s a good thing you still have him, but never mind.”

“I still have him as a friend. Just now without the complicated part.”

“Hm, well, now you have Chanyeol for that, right?” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, clearly fishing for information. Kyungsoo wondered if he was trying to find out for Jongdae.

“Not really,” Kyungsoo sighed. “It’s just my luck that he doesn’t do relationships and has already made it clear that we’re not continuing this after it’s all over.”

“What?” Baekhyun said, his small eyes flying wide in surprise. “Is that a first for you? You didn’t pull the hot guy for once?”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo said, knowing his ears were turning red.

“No, I’m seriously flabbergasted right now,” Baekhyun said. “Wow. This week has been a lot worse for you than I thought. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo said. “Like I said, I’ll let it all out after.”

“Let it all out at the _noraebang_,” Baekhyun said with a cheesy smile. “I decided that’s where we’re all going to go celebrate after this is all over.”

“We should set up a _noraebang_ here and use you trying to sing along as our main weapon for driving these poltergeists away.”

“You act as if that’s not going to be part of my strategy tonight.”

“I’m done with you,” Kyungsoo said, shoving his shoulder playfully and turning to walk away.

Baekhyun laughed and followed him, slinging his arm over his shoulder.

“Soo, if at any point tonight, you just can’t, it’s okay. You know that, right? We’re here for you. Let us know what you need, and don’t block us out or try to do this alone.”

“I’ll do my best,” Kyungsoo told him, appreciating the sentiment. He didn’t realize how glad he was that Baekhyun was going into this battle with him until that moment. Yeah, he was worried about him, but Baekhyun kept things normal in a way that Kyungsoo needed. “And if I don’t get a chance to tell you this, thank you. For everything, Baek. Seriously thank you.”

“You sound like a person who thinks a watcher’s going to come get him tonight,” Baekhyun chided. “Don’t talk like that. Thank me at the _noraebang_, okay?”

“Deal,” Kyungsoo told him, though deep down inside, he wasn’t sure a _noraebang_ would be in his future.

***

Dusk settled over Hongdae as Kyungsoo lay in his bed, eyes wide open, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about his parents. He wondered if they’d be proud of the way he was handling this situation. He knew they’d be worried, and they’d probably wonder why he had gotten himself into this mess in the first place. But he knew it was their mess too, and he kept attempting to remember parts of his past, the arguments he had overheard or the conversations they’d had when they thought he was in his room or had gone to bed.

There had to be an answer there somewhere. In the traces of memories and barely remembered words, there had to be a clue, something that could shed light on this evil box and what would be the key and how to use it.

He texted the executor of the will, the person closest to both of his parents, and the only other person that may have any insight. He asked him if they had ever mentioned a box and a key. He asked him when the item had gone missing. He asked him if his parents had known the head of SamSa, or Hae Corp, or Taeyang, or all three.

He should have thought to do it sooner, but it was such a longshot that he didn’t think it mattered anyway. No one knew anything, except apparently Mr. SamSa, who had taken all his knowledge with him when he had taken his own life.

Kyungsoo drifted off into a light sleep, and then his alarm woke him up. He sat up in bed, taking in the darkened skies, and then rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

He pulled himself together, throwing on a jacket and his ball cap, grabbing his backpack and checking his messages to see Jongin updating him to let him know that the visit with his grandmother had been nice and that he, Jennie, and Hye-jin were at a coffee shop attempting to piece it all together.

A warmth spread in his chest as he thought about the domestic simplicity of his best friend and cousin at a coffee shop, and he hoped that after tonight, those simplest of moments became the norm for him and all of his friends.

***

When Kyungsoo arrived at the site, he checked in with Irene and Seulgi in the van first.

“We’re good to go,” Irene told him. “We dropped cameras in strategic places so we can keep an eye on what’s going on. I’m feeling confident about our coverage.”

“Good,” Kyungsoo said, looking at the monitors to see if he spotted any energy distortions so that he had a better idea of what he was dealing with. “No sign of Chanyeol yet?”

“Not yet,” Irene said. “Do you think he’ll actually show?”

“Depends on what his father tells him,” Kyungsoo said. “We still don’t know his father’s role or agenda in all of this, but I’m guessing we’ll find out one way or another tonight.”

“I can’t wait to have these mysteries solved,” Irene admitted, fixing a small circle device to the inside of his jacket. Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at her, and she explained, “It’s a mic with a tracker. In case we lose visual, I’ll still be able to hear what’s happening. Don’t do anything stupid please.”

“I’ll try my best,” he said, and thanked her.

One by one, the rest of the team began to show up, with the exception of Jongin and Jennie, who wouldn’t be joining them as they tried to decipher the mystery of the key.

Chanyeol was the last to show up, and Kyungsoo watched as Chanyeol parked his car. He tried to get a read on the tall man as he exited his vehicle, and the best way that Kyungsoo could interpret how Chanyeol looked was distracted.

Chanyeol walked toward to the group, scratching the back of his head, and then finally looked at them when he reached them.

“Sorry, I’m late,” he said, his hand now falling to the back of his neck to scratch that instead.

“You’re right on time,” Baekhyun assured him with a pat on the back. “Find out anything from your dad?”

“Not really, no,” Chanyeol said with a shake of his head, “He just told me to stay with you guys.”

Kyungsoo took in his expression and felt there was more to it than that, but if he wasn’t going to share, then they’d have to let it go for now.

“Let’s get you mic’d up,” Irene said, motioning Chanyeol toward her.

Kyungsoo placed his earpiece in his ear and tested the volume with Taemin, who decided to sing the words “Testing, testing, one, two, three,” instead of saying them like a normal person.

“Thanks for that,” Jongdae said with a thumbs up. “I’m now deaf.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said, looking at everyone, “let’s stick with the plan, stay in communication, and at the first sign that something’s not right, well outside of it all just not being right, make it known to the team so everyone can get out of there. Any questions?”

Everyone shook their heads to indicate that they didn’t have any, and then Kyungsoo noticed Tan prancing toward them, her owner casually strolling behind her. Kyungsoo’s stomach dropped and he swallowed as everyone else turned to see what had gotten his attention.

“Shit,” Jongdae said, taking out his rosary from under his shirt.

“That does not work on reapers,” Yeri smarted at him.

“It’s worked so far,” Jongdae pointed out to her.

“I think she means for you to put it away,” Junmyeon clarified, looking as if he might need to grab Yeri and run far away from the exorcist.

“I’m directing it at him, not you guys,” Jongdae assured them, though that appeared to not ease them, nor the angels that had taken a step back from Baekhyun.

Once Minseok joined the group, Kyungsoo looked right at him and said, “I take it you’re here for me. I guess if it was going to be any reaper, I’m glad that it’s you.”

“I am not quite sure what souls are to be taken tonight,” Minseok said as Tan appeared interested in sniffing Yeri’s black Doc Martens. “I was only instructed to be prepared.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Kyungsoo told him, “but you don’t need to lie to me. I have a watcher. I know what’s going to happen.”

“Reapers never lie,” Minseok told him. “We have no reason to. But if it is you, then I’ll make sure you cross safely.”

“This sounds promising,” Baekhyun said, “Especially since you said ‘souls’ as in plural, so I just want everyone to know that I love you all and it’s been a pleasure working with each and every one of you.”

“Stop,” Jongdae said. “No one’s dying tonight. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Agreed,” Irene said. “Everyone in position. Go kill some poltergeists!”

Kyungsoo took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was up ahead and mentally preparing himself so he could deal with it. He motioned for Taemin and Chanyeol to follow him, the three of them going in first per the plan to start scoping the area out and give the all clear.

The pressure that Kyungsoo had felt earlier in the day intensified as they squeezed through a gap in the fence and stepped foot onto the actual site.

“I feel like I can’t breathe,” Chanyeol said.

“The poltergeists are strong,” Kyungsoo explained as they moved forward, and the closer they got to the houses with the poltergeists, the more Kyungsoo felt that he didn’t like this at all. Something felt very wrong to him, but because he couldn’t place it or figure it out, he kept going, and once they cleared the first row of houses without incident, he pressed the button on the wire hanging down from his earpiece. “Okay, you guys can move in.”

“Copy,” Baekhyun said over his earpiece.

Kyungsoo noticed the reading on his meter become more erratic as they moved closer to the houses with the poltergeists.

“You’re moving into the low-level energy barrier area,” Irene said over his earpiece. “Sense or see anything?”

“It doesn’t feel any different,” Kyungsoo told her, “But my meter is spazzing.”

“Camera isn’t picking up anything,” Taemin said into his mic, and Kyungsoo looked over to see him scanning the area with it.

“My thing keeps beeping,” Chanyeol said to Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo pressed his mic button again.

“All of our meters are going a bit haywire, but Tae’s not picking up any energies on the camera,” Kyungsoo let the team know.

“We’re almost caught up to you,” Jongdae said.

“Make a call, Soo,” Irene said. “We good to keep moving forward?”

“I think so,” Kyungsoo said. “We’re not seeing anything. Let’s keep moving.”

“Copy,” Baekhyun said.

They approached closer to the first of the poltergeist houses, but then Taemin tripped and said, “What the hell?”

Kyungsoo looked down and almost lost his breath when he saw the hand sticking out of the ground grabbing Taemin’s ankle.

“What the fuck,” Taemin said, attempting to tug it away, and he got it loose just as the rest of the team caught up to them.

“What was that?” Chanyeol asked, holding his flashlight to his chest, which illuminated the frightened look on his face.

“What do we have so far?” Baekhyun asked Kyungsoo as he approached, and Kyungsoo put his hand up to indicate that he needed to be quiet for the moment, and then he motioned with his hand for them to walk slowly.

“What’s going on?” Baekhyun asked, once he was beside him.

“I think we have a problem,” Kyungsoo said, doing his best to keep his nerves steady, even though his hand shook as he pressed the button for his mic again. “Irene, are you picking up anything in the spot we’re currently standing in?”

“Outside of that low-level energy? Not particular…” Irene began, and then she said, “Shit.”

“What is it?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Shit,” Sehun then said on the other side of him. Kyungsoo looked over to see the necromancer open his backpack and pull out a black leather cord with a large crystal at the end. “Revenants.”

Kyungsoo’s blood ran cold and he looked ahead as more hands begun to pop up out of the ground.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Baekhyun said, wide-eyed as he took a couple of steps back.

“Revenants?” Chanyeol asked, still gripping onto his flashlight for dear life. “What are revenants?”

“The undead,” Jongdae explained, large crucifix in one hand and a large bottle of holy water in the other.

“It looks like they form a perimeter around the houses in conjunction with the low-level energy,” Seulgi said into their earpieces, “That energy must be what’s conjuring them.”

“So they go all the way around?” Kyungsoo asked, as he took a hop back when the ground in front of him broke and a skeletal figure with the last remnants of decaying skin pulled himself out.

“Afraid so,” Irene said, “And the longer you guys stand there, the more the other ones are going to head in your direction.”

“What the fuck am I looking at right now?” Chanyeol said, looking like he was either going to cry or pass out from fright.

“Just calm down,” Kyungsoo told him. “If you need to run back and get out of here, do it.”

“I can’t,” Chanyeol said, looking distressed.

At that moment, a revenant reached out for Jongdae, who put his crucifix up, causing the revenant to stumble backward. Sehun used the same strategy with his crystal on the other side.

“Revenants can’t be killed,” Kyungsoo let Chanyeol know, “We’re just going to have to fight our way through them.”

Chanyeol nodded, even though he looked too horrified to process Kyungsoo’s words.

The revenants were repelled by the mere presence of Joy and Yixing, which allowed the angels to start to clear a decent enough path for the team, but it didn’t help with the new revenants that kept popping up under their feet as they traveled forward bit by bit.

Kyungsoo tried to use his flashlight to attack the one currently in front of him, raising his leg to kick it backwards long enough to run around it and only be confronted by another one with an outstretched arm. Kyungsoo ducked just in time and brought his flashlight down hard on the back of the revenant to knock it to the ground momentarily.

He looked around to make sure everyone was holding up okay and spotted Chanyeol using his backpack to whack at the revenants that came toward him.

Whereas the angels had the privilege of not being bothered by the revenants, Junmyeon and Yeri used their advantage as demons to tackle as many of them down, not needing to worry about being killed by one, or worse, dragged back under the ground with them alive.

The mediums were attempting to use lit candles that they could shove at the revenants to keep them back, which gave Kyungsoo an idea.

“Sehun,” he called out. “What if you create a light barrier through them? Maybe like a walkway for us to try and get through.”

Sehun nodded and kicked at the revenant in front of him before jogging backward as he took off his backpack to pull out his items.

“Joy, protect him,” Yixing instructed, and the angel ran over to Sehun to keep the revenants away from him while he worked.

“Everything’s fun until you have a wiggling arm in your hand,” Taemin said, having somehow pulled the arm off a revenant he had been fighting.

Kyungsoo noticed his own revenant just in time, turning to punch it in the face with his flashlight.

“Why are there so many?” Baekhyun complained, as he kicked away one that had tried to grab his foot.

“Why are there any at all?” Irene said over their ear pieces. “There’s no way Mr. SamSa is behind this. Something else is going on here.”

“Should we fall back and regroup with a new plan?” Seulgi asked over the earpiece.

Kyungsoo looked over at Sehun and asked him, “How much longer do you need?”

“I’ve got it,” Sehun said, getting up and pouring holy water along the ground as he ran through the revenants with Joy’s help.

“I think we got it,” Kyungsoo said through his mic.

Kyungsoo realized that Chanyeol’s strategy hadn’t been a bad one, and he took off his backpack, swinging it and knocking down two revenants that had charged toward him at the same time.

Sehun ran back down parallel to the way he had run up, and then he began mumbling under his breath as he lit a match and tossed it on one side, then did the same for the other side, the lines of holy water suddenly ablaze and making the revenants fall backward away from the newly created path.

“Let’s go!” Kyungsoo yelled, helping Taemin up after he had been knocked down again.

They all ran as fast as they could, Baekhyun and his team breaking off to enter the first house, and Sehun’s team turning the corner to head toward the second house. Kyungsoo turned around to make sure everyone had cleared the path, then he had to break into an amused smile when he spotted Minseok, casually strolling through the path, taking his time in joining them while holding a very unbothered Tan.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Chanyeol said, bent over and heaving by a dead shrub that stood by the first house.

Kyungsoo ran over to him and rubbed his back.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry. We didn’t know we’d be dealing with that. Otherwise, I would’ve warned you.”

“I’m having a nightmare,” Chanyeol said. “This is all a nightmare.”

Taemin crouched down and took Chanyeol’s backpack, opening it and pulling out the infrared and night vision cameras.

“I’m going to check up on the third and fourth houses,” Taemin told Kyungsoo, “He should stay with you.”

Kyungsoo nodded and thanked him, and Taemin took off running. Kyungsoo continued to rub Chanyeol’s back, keeping an eye on the revenants who were still confused by the lit pathway and hadn’t realized where they had gone yet.

“Why?” Chanyeol said, though it seemed he was saying it more to himself, “Why?”

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo said. “What if I find you a place to hide until this is all done, and then I can come back and get you?”

“No,” Chanyeol shook his head. “I have to stay with you. I’m… I’m staying with you.”

Kyungsoo nodded at him and then his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out just in case it was Jongin, then his heart raced when it indeed was Jongin’s face on the screen.

“Hey, what’d you find out?” Kyungsoo answered.

“Get out of there,” Jongin said, and the panic in his voice made Kyungsoo skip a breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s a trap,” Jongin said. “You have to get out of there. Right now.”

“What do you mean it’s a…” Kyungsoo began, but he heard a loud noise come from the house, and then the windows blew out.

He dropped the phone as he hit the ground, covering his head to hopefully avoid being cut by the flying glass.

“Oh my God, we’re all going to die,” Chanyeol said, shaking as he looked at the shattered glass around them in disbelief.

“Hello? Hello? Soo, are you okay? Soo!” Jongin’s voice sounded even more panicked through the phone, and Kyungsoo grabbed it again.

“I’m okay,” Kyungsoo said. He sat on the ground trying to catch his breath, and as he looked ahead, he noticed a man, with six men behind him, crossing the path they had created.

“Soo, get the hell out of there! Mr. Hae set this all up to lure you into there!”

Kyungsoo felt a bit numb, and all the loud sounds around him seemed to disappear as he watched the man come into view, illuminated by the fire on both sides of him. And at that moment, Kyungsoo knew that not only was Jongin very correct, but also that Jongin had found out what the key was and its location.

“It’s too late,” Kyungsoo said, pushing himself up to stand up slowly as Mr. Hae approached him. “He’s already here.”

“Shit! Soo, listen to me—”

Kyungsoo ended the call and placed the phone back in his pocket, trying his hardest to find some breaths he could catch.

Mr. Hae stood before him, an unpleasant smirk upon his face.

“I’m pleased to see you’ve made it this far,” Mr. Hae said. “Shall we head to the main house?”

Kyungsoo’s breath was ragged, but he managed to turn around, grabbing his backpack and helping Chanyeol up to his feet.

“Lead the way,” Kyungsoo then said to Mr. Hae, but the older man laughed and put his arm out instead.

“I insist,” Mr. Hae stated, and Kyungsoo, for the first time that day, wanted to cry.

He walked ahead of the men, making sure to keep Chanyeol by his side, and he tried very hard to not freak out. He had to stay in control somehow, and he had to think of a way out of this situation.

Why hadn’t he realized it all sooner? Now that the truth had revealed itself, it all seemed so obvious. Kyungsoo wanted to yell for being too stupid to figure it all out in time before he put his friends in danger and ended up in this possibly hopeless situation.

They reached the center house, and the energy coming from it was so thick that Kyungsoo had to take deeper breaths.

“Amazing isn’t it?” Mr. Hae said, his arms behind his back as he looked at the door. “Power. Feel that power.”

“I can’t take out that poltergeist by myself,” Kyungsoo said to him. “I need the rest of my team.”

Mr. Hae gave a cold chuckle and looked at him.

“I think you’ve figured out by now that you won’t need your team,” Mr. Hae said, his eyes daring him to object to his statement.

Shit. Kyungsoo was so screwed. If only he had realized that before ending up in this mess in the first place.

“What does he mean?” Chanyeol asked Kyungsoo, his voice shaking a bit.

Kyungsoo looked toward the two houses his team were still in, wondering how long he could stall to give them enough time to join him.

“You’re right,” Kyungsoo then said, taking a deep breath, “I don’t need my team.” He turned his attention to Chanyeol and said, “This is something I need to do alone. Go wait with the others.” Kyungsoo did his best to try and channel the importance of this to Chanyeol with his eyes, and Chanyeol did seem to understand that he needed him to do this.

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, eyebrows furrowed, and he took a few steps to head back then stopped, as if suddenly startled. He looked back at Kyungsoo, “Wait. I thought…” Chanyeol looked back at the houses, which seemed to be even louder now with more things flying out of the windows and the lights flickering. “Wait,” Chanyeol said, putting his hands on his hips as if needing to figure something out. “Wait, I thought we wouldn’t be able to get to this house until the barrier was broken. But the others are still trying to break the barrier.”

Mr. Hae laughed an unholy laugh and looked at Kyungsoo, “You brought your team to their deaths without telling them everything they need to know. You’re my kind of leader.”

Kyungsoo realized two things at that moment, one, that he never wanted to be any kind of leader that in any way won the approval of Mr. Hae, and, two, Mr. Hae either didn’t recognize Chanyeol or had no idea that he was his failed business partner’s son.

“I suppose you should know before you die,” Mr. Hae said to Chanyeol, “that all you needed to get past the barrier was the key.” And then he let out a wicked laugh that Kyungsoo thought was a bit over the top.

Chanyeol looked confused until it dawned on him what Mr. Hae meant, and then Chanyeol looked shocked.

“You have the key?” Chanyeol asked Kyungsoo.

“It’s worse than that,” Kyungsoo said, knowing he had a defeated expression on his face as he looked at him. “I am the key.” Chanyeol looked as stunned as Kyungsoo felt, and Kyungsoo told him, “Go wait with the others.”

It took Chanyeol a moment to take a few steps backward, and then he turned and ran back toward the house that Baekhyun and Jongdae were in.

“You won’t need that anymore,” Mr. Hae then said, pointing to the earpiece, and one of the men with Mr. Hae stepped forward, as if thinking he’d remove it himself.

Kyungsoo glared at him and ripped the earpiece out of his ear.

“Don’t even think about touching me,” Kyungsoo told him, still glaring as he pocketed the earpiece.

Mr. Hae seemed amused by this display then addressed his guards and instructed four of them to go back to the houses and standby for his orders. He then turned his attention to Kyungsoo.

“I’m expecting this to go smoothly,” he said to Kyungsoo, “But should you try anything funny or not follow my commands, I will instruct my men to burn these homes down with your friends in them. Now, if you’d be so kind to open the door.”

Kyungsoo wanted to knock him out with his backpack, much as Chanyeol had done to the revenants, and deep down inside he felt that Mr. Hae had to be bluffing, but he couldn’t take that chance. So he took slow steps up to the door, biting his lip as he looked at the doorknob, wondering if there was any way to get out of this. All he could do was trust that his friends could defeat those poltergeists and get out of those houses in time.

He turned the knob, the pressure intensifying, and he had to bow his head for a moment, feeling a surge of painful pressure through his mind and through his chest. He used a bit of strength to open the door, and was greeted by old books and small furniture pieces that had been left behind floating through the air as the poltergeist controlled them. The wind it generated caused Kyungsoo to take a couple of steps back, but Mr. Hae was right behind him to shove him inside with one strong push.

Kyungsoo narrowly missed being hit on the side of the head by a floating chair, ducking and then glaring at Mr. Hae, who didn’t seem bothered at all by this display.

And then, all of a sudden, the items fell to the ground, the wind stopped blowing, the light stopped flickering, and the noise died down.

“What…” Kyungsoo began to ask, but then he heard it. A voice like a whisper tickling his ear, telling him to come upstairs. He wished in that moment that he had one of Jongdae’s rosaries, or one of Sehun’s crystals, or even one of Baekhyun’s candles. Anything to make him feel safer than he felt now.

He stepped over the fallen books and walked to the stairwell, not knowing how to stall, but then, just as he reached the first step, he paused and looked back toward the front door.

“There’s no point,” Mr. Hae told him. “Your friends will not be able to help you. The spirit controls the activity on this land. My associate… Oh, well, I’m sure you know by now that he triggered all of these defenses. He attempted to use the spirit’s power without a key, and the spirit cursed him from stepping foot on it again by creating the poltergeists. Because you are the key, this barrier is removed before you, but as your friends are not the keys, their barriers remain. Your friends are a talented bunch, but unfortunately, they will not take out all four of the poltergeists. Now please ascend.”

Kyungsoo swallowed and began the climb, wishing that he knew if his friends were holding up alright against the poltergeists to begin with. But now he had to focus on creating a new plan. He still didn’t know what he was supposed to do as the key, and he wasn’t sure he’d have many choices once they reached the highest level.

_I’ve been waiting for you._

The voice whispered to him again, and Kyungsoo felt a chill down his spine, thinking that the voices of spirits shouldn’t be so audible. It didn’t feel right, but then again, nothing had ever felt right about any of this.

_Just a bit more._

If Kyungsoo hadn’t realized before that he was walking into his death, he realized it now. Mr. Hae was going to use him and then get rid of him. That much was clear. Mr. Hae wouldn’t be able to risk Kyungsoo getting the power back.

He took the final step onto the third floor, only to find that it was a large room, completely void of any furniture or objects outside of the brass jewelry box on the floor. The room was frigid, and Kyungsoo rubbed the arm of his jacket, as if it would do any good.

“Finally,” Mr. Hae said. “I have been waiting so long for this.”

_You are worthy of the gifts this box brings. Open it and receive what is yours._

Kyungsoo shuddered again, and he found himself sniffling, the cold temperature making his nose run a little.

“Now,” Mr. Hae said to Kyungsoo, “this will be very simple. All you need to do is gift the box to me.”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, looking at him unsure.

“The box is meant to be given as a gift,” Mr. Hae explained to him. “The person it is given to becomes the key that can unlock the power within it.”

The two men with Mr. Hae moved forward in an intimidating fashion, and Kyungsoo took a step back, understanding the purpose of the movement clearly.

“Shit,” Kyungsoo said to himself, looking over at the box. His mother had given him the box in her will, and whether or not he had ever physically received it from her appeared to not matter.

“Grab the box,” Mr. Hae said, his tone even, “and gift it to me. Now.”

Kyungsoo knew he had to stall. He had to find a way to give his friends a chance to make it to him in time. He looked around the room, wondering if there was anything he could use to defend himself if needed.

“There’s no point in wasting time,” Mr. Hae said, losing a bit of his patience.

The two guards approached Kyungsoo again, and he stepped back again, several times, until he was right next to the box.

_Open it and receive what is yours._

Kyungsoo wanted to rid himself of the ability to hear the spirit’s whisper in his ear. He shivered again and stared down at the box.

If he tried to open it, he was sure Mr. Hae’s associates would have their hands around his throat faster than he could do anything with it. He needed another strategy.

“Why?” Kyungsoo said, looking back over at Mr. Hae. “You’re already a powerful man. Why do you need this?”

“A powerful man still has a powerful man above him,” Mr. Hae stated. “The power in this box would make me as powerful as a god. I deserve it.”

“You deserve nothing,” Kyungsoo said. “You have enough power to do whatever it is you want to do.”

“You have exactly one minute to pick up that box and bring it to me, or else I will command my associates outside to burn the homes,” Mr. Hae told him. “I am done playing games.”

“I wasn’t aware we were playing any,” Kyungsoo said, more to himself, and then he felt himself tremble as a deep fear overtook his entire being. His eyes widened in a way that made Mr. Hae look a bit uneasy.

“What is it?” Mr. Hae said.

Kyungsoo started shaking. He couldn’t help it. The first time, he hadn’t known the fear quite yet, but each time after, the fear attacked him as if it was more dangerous than before.

He started breathing quicker, his breath visible as he exhaled against the cold air, and he slowly turned his head, and looked over his shoulder, and wanted to cry.

The watcher stood right by the wall, wearing its black cloak, its grim face in shadows, but its black eyes piercing.

“What is it?” Mr. Hae demanded. “What do you see?”

Kyungsoo shut his eyes tight, then opened them, and his breath caught as the watcher now stood a few steps closer to him.

“Oh God,” Kyungsoo said, shaking even more, and asking himself, “What do I do?”

“Give me the box!” Mr. Hae yelled. “Stop with the theatrics. You’re not going to get out of this. Grab him and force him.”

The men grabbed Kyungsoo’s arms and shoved him down to the ground, his face mere inches from the box. He needed to cry. He needed to yell. He needed to get this all over with. He could feel the watcher behind him. He knew the proximity without looking. He needed to accept his fate.

Kyungsoo grabbed the box, feeling a strange sensation take over him, as if he was being reunited with an old friend, but the moment was short-lived as it was replaced by the knowledge that the watcher stood directly behind him.

The men grabbed him and brought him to a standing position, and Kyungsoo could feel the watcher beside him, staring at him, intently, so close that if the watcher were able to exhale breath, Kyungsoo would have felt it.

_Open the box._

And he shook his head as the whisper returned. He could feel how eager the spirit was to be released, the box vibrating with an energy that felt familiar to Kyungsoo.

“Now,” Mr. Hae said, “bring it to me and gift it to me. You must make sure the spirit understands that it’s a gift. That you want me to have it.”

“But I don’t want you to have it,” Kyungsoo said between ragged breaths.

“You want me to have it,” Mr. Hae said. “Otherwise, I will give the orders to kill your friends.”

“You’re bluffing,” Kyungsoo said, the idea so horrible that his heartbeat raced even quicker.

“Unlike you,” Mr. Hae said with a smirk, “I did not come unprepared. I knew what you were doing. I’ve been watching you and your friends since you’ve been here. I knew what had to be done. And I will do it. If you want your friends to live, then you want me to have that box.”

Kyungsoo had never been a fan of manipulation, and he bit his lip, knowing he couldn’t take the risk.

He took a step forward and noticed a small shadow behind Mr. Hae. Within moments, Tan’s full form pranced right behind Mr. Hae and sat, looking at Kyungsoo before licking her paw.

His time was up.

He took another step forward, knowing that with the watcher taking each step with him, and Minseok somewhere around ready to take his soul, things had certainly not worked out the way they had planned. But he’d see his parents soon. He held onto that thought, the only one that could keep him moving forward as tears started falling down his cheeks.

Kyungsoo didn’t want to cry in front of this evil man. He didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but he couldn’t help it. He sniffled again, holding the box with both of his hands that shook to the point that the box rattled.

“That’s it,” Mr. Hae said, extending his hands out, “Now gift it to me.”

Kyungsoo began to stretch his shaking hands out when the box was suddenly knocked out of his grasp. He looked over to see that Junmyeon had been responsible for that, a black shadow permeating around him as his eyes went red and he lunged toward Mr. Hae, knocking him to the ground and pinning him.

“I got the box,” Jongdae said, running in and kneeling beside it as Baekhyun and Sehun rushed over to it.

“What is this? How is this possible?” Mr. Hae yelled. “Get them!”

The two men ran toward those around the box but were intercepted by the two angels, who at the same time, reached their hands out to touch the two men on the chest, causing both guards to fly across the room and fall to the ground, knocked out cold.

“No!” Mr. Hae yelled out.

Sehun drew a circle around the box, binding it, while Baekhyun sat in front of it, appearing to communicate with the spirt.

“It’s a strong one,” Sehun said, looking a bit worried at Baekhyun.

“It’s because it’s so ancient,” Jongdae agreed.

“I can help too,” Wendy said, coming over to kneel beside them. “Maybe with the four of us we can get rid of it.”

“It wants Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said, sounding a bit far away as he spoke. “It’s asking for Kyungsoo to free it.”

“It doesn’t want to be destroyed,” Kyungsoo reasoned, crouching beside them.

It didn’t matter in that moment that his watcher still stood beside him or that Tan had lain on her belly to watch him patiently, waiting for her moment to pounce on his soul. All that mattered was that Kyungsoo made sure this box no longer caused any problems in the future.

“It wants to feel freedom,” Baekhyun said, as he stared at the wall in a trance. “Let me go,” Baekhyun said. “Let me be free.”

“Can we destroy it once it’s unleashed?” Wendy asked.

“Do we want to take that risk?” Sehun asked Kyungsoo.

“I think we can,” Kyungsoo said. “It turns out I’m the key. I can control it.”

Jongdae and Sehun looked at him surprised, then nodded.

“Let me be free,” Baekhyun said, still in his trance, and Kyungsoo took a deep breath.

He reached out to the box, sliding his fingers over the top for a moment, and then lifted the lid, slowly, until it was completely open.

The spirit formed into a white mist as it spilled out of the box.

“It’s been so long,” Baekhyun said, his eyeballs twitching as they rolled back, “It’s been so long since I felt freedom.”

“Get rid of it now,” Kyungsoo told the others, and Jongdae, Sehun, and Wendy went into action, casting their spells, using their sage, and candles, and crystals, and whatever else they had as Baekhyun started convulsing.

Yixing ran over to help, but Baekhyun’s arm shot out, knocking the angel in his chest and making him stumble back and fall to the ground.

“Hurry!” Kyungsoo said, not knowing what to do.

“You’re the key!” Chanyeol yelled out, running over to him, and Kyungsoo looked surprised to see him all of a sudden. “You’re the key,” Chanyeol told him again. “Control it!”

Kyungsoo focused back on Baekhyun, not knowing how to control the spirit that oddly belonged to him.

“Stop,” Kyungsoo said to it. “Stop!”

Baekhyun fell back onto the ground, unconscious, and the white mist hovered before Kyungsoo.

He rose to his feet as well, and he could sense that the spirit was weakening.

“It’s working,” Kyungsoo said to the three still on the floor chanting, “Keep going.”

_I shall give you all the power you desire._

“I don’t want that,” Kyungsoo said to the waning spirit in front of him. “You have your freedom. Now it’s time for you to finally move on.”

_You are worthy of the gifts._

“I don’t want them,” Kyungsoo told it. “They’re your gifts. You need to take them with you and be at peace.”

_I cannot go until I fulfill the final wish of the previous key._

“What?” Kyungsoo said, now confused. “The final wish of the previous key?”

_The final wish. To protect you._

The ground beneath them shook.

“It broke the circle,” Chanyeol pointed out.

_Thank you for you my freedom. It is time._

The spirit flew right past him, just as Tan lunged for him. Kyungsoo covered his head, then realized that Tan was leaping over him instead.

He turned to see Junmyeon let go of Mr. Hae just in time for the spirit to stab right through his chest, the watcher finishing the job as it attacked Mr. Hae with its shadow hands. Mr. Hae let out a piercing scream that barely seemed human. Tan collected the soul that spewed out of the evil man and pranced it over to Minseok, who nodded his head to Kyungsoo, then took his leave down the stairs with his trusty cat.

Kyungsoo stood stunned, and as he looked over at the limp body of Mr. Hae, he noticed the watcher remove his hands from the body and stare back at Kyungsoo.

He thought at that moment, as he watched the watcher disappear from his very eyes, that his mother would be the type to send the scariest of all beings to protect him.

Kyungsoo collapsed to his knees in exhaustion and disbelief. He looked over to see Yixing sitting on the floor with Baekhyun’s head on his lap, running his healing fingers through the unconscious medium’s hair.

“Baek, wake up,” Jongdae said, kneeling in front of him and looking worried. “Wake up!” The exorcist then looked at Yixing. “Is he going to be okay?”

“We should get him to a hospital,” Yixing said.

“Oh God,” Kyungsoo said, reaching over to run his hand over Baekhyun’s arm. “Don’t be stupid. Wake up, Baek. Someone tell Irene we need an ambulance.”

“About that,” Junmyeon said, the shadowy aura around him gone and his eyes back to their brown shade. “We have not heard from Irene or Seulgi since entering the houses.”

“The transmission cut out at some point,” Sehun nodded.

Kyungsoo didn’t like the sound of that.

“Then let’s get him out of here,” Kyungsoo directed.

“What do we do about Mr. Hae’s body?” Chanyeol asked.

“Leave it,” Kyungsoo said. “The revenants will take care of it.”

Chanyeol looked disturbed, but nodded, and then volunteered to help Yixing carry Baekhyun down the stairs.

Once they were outside, Kyungsoo felt like he could finally breathe again. All of the pressure was gone, and Kyungsoo felt proud of his team.

“I can’t believe you guys got rid of all the poltergeists just in time,” Kyungsoo said as they walked back toward where they had started.

“We didn’t,” Jongdae said.

“We got rid of the first two,” Sehun nodded, “But it didn’t break the barrier.”

“We were about to head to the other two houses,” Jongdae continued, “when Chanyeol came and got us.”

“And you were able to cross the barrier?” Kyungsoo asked confused.

“It’s because they were with me,” Chanyeol told him, looking at him in a way where he was sure he’d understand. “I thought it might work. And it did.”

It dawned on Kyungsoo why Chanyeol had thought that, and then Kyungsoo remembered what he had learned at the library. The boxes were twins. They used the same key. But that hadn’t meant that it was only one key, just that the keys were the same, and in that way, interchangeable. Little did Mr. Hae know that he had a backup option right in front of him to use as well.

“Real prepared,” Kyungsoo mocked under his breath.

“What?” Chanyeol asked him.

“Nothing,” Kyungsoo said, “What about Mr. Hae’s other guards that he left out here?”

“Yeri knocked them all out,” Sehun said with a proud smile. “It was really cool.”

“They were weak,” Yeri stated, almost as if annoyed that they hadn’t put up more of a fight.

The team reached the perimeter and paused at the sight in front of them, Kyungsoo gasping out loud.

Chanyeol’s father stood by a sleek black car while a few bodyguards held Irene, Seulgi, and Taemin in chokeholds.

“Get in the car,” Mr. Park said to his son, “and no one will get hurt.”

Kyungsoo’s heart raced, suddenly fearful for Chanyeol’s life, and he looked at him to see Chanyeol swallowing.

“Get in now,” Mr. Park, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Chanyeol obeyed his father, not looking at Kyungsoo as he looked down and walked to the car, getting into the backseat.

“All of your services have been invaluable,” Mr. Park said to them. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a family matter to deal with.”

Kyungsoo watched as the three bodyguards released Irene, Seulgi, and Taemin, then got inside the car along with Mr. Park and drove away.

“They saw everything,” Irene blurted out to them. “They came into the van and held us hostage while they watched and listened.”

“Which means, he now knows that Chanyeol is the key for his box. He didn’t know until now that the key was his own son,” Kyungsoo said, wanting to chase after the car, but feeling rooted to his spot.

“I thought the collection belonged to Mr. Park though,” Irene said, rubbing her neck.

“It was his original wife’s collection,” Kyungsoo told them. “And based on everything Chanyeol told me about the type of person she was, and the type of person his father has always been, I have a feeling that the collection was left to Chanyeol, but Mr. Park took ownership of it instead.”

“Damn it,” Irene said, kicking the curb.

“We need to get Baek to the hospital,” Jongdae then reminded everyone.

“Get him in the van,” Irene said. “I’ll drive us.”

Just then, Jennie’s Maserati came down their street at a breakneck speed and skidded to a stop right in front of the group.

Jongin got out so fast from the passenger side that Kyungsoo barely had time to register the action.

“You’re okay!” Jongin said, running to him and pulling him into a tight hug. “I was so worried. You’re okay. Right? You’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo said as he watched Jennie get out from the driver’s side. And then Kyungsoo realized what he had to do. “I need you.”

“I’m here,” Jongin nodded. “What do you need?”

“Mr. Park’s going to try and get Chanyeol to gift him the box. Chanyeol is the key of his family’s box. We have to go help.”

“The box is in the warehouse,” Jongin said, letting go of him. “I know the way. Get in the car.”

“You’re going to need help to get rid of it,” Irene pointed out. “We’ll get Baek to the hospital, you guys need to go with them.”

“We don’t all fit in that tiny car,” Jongdae pointed out. “Who else drove here?”

“I did,” Taemin said, taking his keys out of his pocket and tossing them to Jongdae. “Be nice to my car.”

“I’ll be nicer to your car than I am to you,” Jongdae teased him.

“Fair,” Taemin nodded, and then he headed to the van along with Irene, Seulgi, and Yixing who carried Baekhyun in his arms.

“We have room for one more, hurry,” Jennie said, holding the door open.

Yeri volunteered to go in Jennie’s “cool” car as she made herself comfortable in the backseat next to Kyungsoo. Jongdae ran toward Taemin’s car with Sehun, Junmyeon, and Wendy. Then both vehicles headed toward the warehouse that held the Park treasure trove.

Kyungsoo knew Chanyeol would do what his father told him, but he still felt he needed to be there for him, even if it was just to console him after for gifting his father with all the power in the world.

***

Jongin pulled up to the front of the warehouse, right behind the car that had taken Chanyeol and his father. They were not surprised when bodyguards ran to the car to stop them from entering, but the bodyguards were very surprised when Yeri affected a shadow around her and her eyes gleaned red, causing the men to hesitate and take a step back in worry.

“It’s easier if you just let us in,” Kyungsoo said.

The men continued to hesitate, until the other car arrived and Junmyeon came out, ready to pounce.

“You guys go in,” Jongin said to Kyungsoo, Jongdae, Sehun, and Wendy. “We’ll handle these guys.”

Kyungsoo ran by them, opening the side door and carefully walking toward the area, attempting to not make much noise. He didn’t want to bring attention to them, hoping Jongdae, Sehun, and Wendy could hide and work on getting rid of the spirit while he created a diversion long enough to keep Chanyeol from gifting the box to his father, if he hadn’t already.

He spotted Chanyeol first, already holding the box in his hands, and he motioned to the others that they were close and to start their work.

They crouched behind various items—a wooden crate, a massive ceramic vase, a bandaji chest—and began their chants.

“You’ve always been such a loyal son,” Kyungsoo overheard Mr. Park say as he approached them. “I will make sure you’re rewarded for it. Anything you want will be yours.”

“You can’t give me what I want,” Chanyeol said, his eyes turned downcast.

“Once you give me that box, I can give you whatever you want.”

“That’s not true,” Chanyeol said, looking back up at his father. “You won’t be able to give me my mom back. And you won’t love me. After I give this to you, you won’t even need me anymore, and you’ll forget I exist altogether.”

Kyungsoo could feel the spirit inside the box as it became more restless. It knew that power would be transferred soon, and the spirit did not appear to think that Mr. Park was worthy.

“Enough,” Mr. Park said with an impatient tone. “It is time. Gift me the box in a way that it’s clear that you want it to be mine.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t stand by any longer. He had to hope that Jongdae, Sehun, and Wendy worked fast, even though the spirit possessed a large amount of strength.

“He can’t,” Kyungsoo said, emerging from the shadows, and Chanyeol looked at him surprised.

“How did you get in here?” Mr. Park seethed.

“We have demons,” Kyungsoo said, “Your buddies out there have their hands a bit full.”

“Give me the box now,” Mr. Park said to Chanyeol.

“You know,” Kyungsoo said, walking toward him with a casual stroll, “Maybe if you had shown your son any amount of love, he’d be more inclined to gift it to you. But you didn’t, so the spirit’s not going to believe him when he gives it to you.”

“This does not concern you,” Mr. Park said.

“It does,” Kyungsoo said, “because this really weird thing happened when you sent your son to spy on me. We became friends. Which kind of makes sense, right? Twin boxes. Twin keys. We’ve been connected since we inherited these boxes and never knew it.”

“You’re speaking nonsense,” Mr. Park said, but he looked a little unsure about this and turned his attention back to his son. “You would betray your family for this little punk? Give me the box, Chanyeol.”

“I would never betray my family,” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at him.

“That’s right,” Mr. Park said, allowing a smile to return to his face. “I raised you to know better.”

“All I ever wanted,” Chanyeol said, as a lone tear slid down his cheek, “was for you to love me. I wanted you to be a father to me, especially after my mom died.”

“I am your father,” Mr. Park said.

“Why couldn’t you just love me?” Chanyeol asked him, and Kyungsoo’s heart broke for him.

He wanted to reach out to him and comfort him, but he stood in his spot and felt the spirit’s power begin to wane.

“I will,” Mr. Park said. “Give me the box, and I will love you the way you wish to be loved.”

Chanyeol looked pained to hear that, and Kyungsoo watched him carefully, as he shook his head and more tears fell.

“The thing is,” Chanyeol said, taking a deep breath, “I’m the key. So if I wanted to, I could open this box, and become the powerful one, and I could ask the spirit to make you love me.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Mr. Park said, trying to stay calm even though his eyes looked frightened by this prospect. “You wouldn’t know how to control the power in that box. You wouldn’t have ever known how to do anything if it hadn’t been for me instructing you on every small thing I’ve ever asked you to do. I’m the one with the ability to wield that kind of power. You would destroy yourself in seconds. Now hand it over.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Kyungsoo said to Chanyeol. “You know you’re brilliant, and you know he says these things to manipulate you for his evil purposes.”

“You are such a nuisance,” Mr. Park said, and he reached out to shove Kyungsoo against the wall. “Of course my son would become friends with someone like you.”

“Let him go,” Chanyeol said, and Mr. Park shoved Kyungsoo again, harder this time as he held him pinned with his forearm against his chest. “Let him go, or I will take on the power inside this box.”

If there was something that Kyungsoo knew about people like Mr. Park, it’s that they didn’t like to be manipulated or threatened, and with one final shove, Mr. Park let Kyungsoo go and walked over to Chanyeol.

“I thought we’d be able to do this in a nice way,” Mr. Park said to his son, “but I see now that you’ve been influenced by this miscreant. It’s fine. I have another way to make you do what you should have already done.”

Mr. Park gave a signal, and out of the shadows came the curator that had first shown Jongin and Kyungsoo around, only now he had a shadow aura around him, and his eyes, were very much red.

“I have my own demon,” Mr. Park said, turning to look at Kyungsoo with a pitiful smirk. He then looked at Chanyeol, “And this demon does as I say. Give me the box now, or this demon will kill your new little friend.”

“That’s twice now you’ve referred to me as ‘little’,” Kyungsoo pointed out to him, “And I really wish you’d stop doing that.”

“Give him a taste of what’s to come,” Mr. Park said to the curator demon.

Kyungsoo didn’t finish a single blink before the demon had him pressed against the wall, and Kyungsoo felt as if all the air in his body was leaving him, gasping for air that wouldn’t come.

“Now,” Mr. Park said to Chanyeol, “the box. The longer you take, the more likely that your friend will die.”

Chanyeol appeared nervous as Kyungsoo tried to kick his legs to struggle free. He had to breathe. He had never wanted to breathe more in his life.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” Chanyeol said. “Let him go.”

“No, no, no,” Mr. Park said in a patronizing tone. “You will give me the box first.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, and he took a deep breath and said, “I’m gifting you this box. I want you to have it.”

In his head, Kyungsoo yelled out “no,” but without any air, no sounds came out, and instead he felt himself get lightheaded. So much so that he suddenly thought this might all be a dream as the demon in front of him began to disintegrate.

“What?” The curator demon said, looking at his hands in horror as they disappeared. “What is this?”

Mr. Park had been about to take the box when he saw his demon start to vanish, “What is happening?” Mr. Park looked confused and frightened by the sight.

Kyungsoo’s chest heaved as he took in all the breaths he could manage, needing to feel his lungs full again. “You…” Kyungsoo said, as he continued to try and breathe in more, “had… a demon.” Kyungsoo had to bend over with his hands on his knees as he looked at Mr. Park. “But we… have… an exorcist.”

“Hi,” Jongdae said, popping up from behind the ceramic vase with a little wave and a smile.

Mr. Park’s eyes enlarged, and he turned to take the box, but instead of a box, he was greeted by the white mist of the spirit and his son standing before him with the box open.

“No,” Mr. Park said, and all of his rage and bravado turned into horror and disbelief, “No. No.”

“I’ve freed the spirit,” Chanyeol said. “It will cross over to where it truly belongs, and it will take its powers with it, and no one, especially no one like you, will ever be able to obtain it again.”

“No,” Mr. Park said, grabbing the box out of Chanyeol’s hands. “No! You gifted it to me! It’s mine.”

“It’s ready to move on,” Chanyeol said to Jongdae.

Jongdae nodded and the other two friends revealed themselves from their hiding spots, springing into action. Jongdae started his commands to the spirit again, Sehun had a small bundle of sage in his hand that he burned as he walked closer to the spirit and mumbled his spells, and Wendy lit candles as she recited her chants.

Tan appeared over one of the statues, balancing herself perfectly upon it, and Kyungsoo watched as Minseok strolled toward them through the aisle of artifacts. He had never been happier to see the reaper in his life.

“You’re my spirit!” Mr. Park yelled at the mist. “Get back in this box and do as I tell you!”

The mist waned, and Chanyeol seemed to smile at it. Tan leaped from the statue and collected it, taking it to Minseok who crouched down to receive it and give her a good head scratch.

“Where did it go?” Mr. Park said. “Get it back.” He shoved the box in Chanyeol’s direction. “Get it back!”

“It’s gone now,” Chanyeol said to him, and Chanyeol did take the box back from him and held it in his hands, inspecting it before closing it again. “It’s gone.”

“Bring it back or I will kill you,” Mr. Park said, grabbing Chanyeol by the shirt.

“I’m no longer working for you,” Chanyeol told him. “I am never doing what you want me to do again.”

“You think you can exist without me?” Mr. Park told him, letting go of his shirt and sneering at him once more. “Without me you have nothing. Without me you are nothing. I will take away all that you have. Your condos, your cars, all of your possessions that my money has bought for you.”

“That’s fine,” Chanyeol said. “As it turns out, I have a whole warehouse of things I can auction to get by.”

“I destroyed your mother’s will. There is no proof that she left all these things to you. These things are all mine.”

“Fine,” Chanyeol said. “I have this empty brass box then, which probably won’t get me far. So I’ll get a job, and I’ll find a new place to live, and I’ll get a new phone, and you will never be able to contact me or see me again.”

“I can find you,” Mr. Park said. “You can’t escape from me. I will destroy you for what you’ve done here.”

“No, you won’t,” Kyungsoo said, finally having caught enough of his breath to walk over to them. “Your former associate died because he thought he could destroy me, but what he didn’t know was that my mother had left a very special instruction with the spirit, and that was to protect me at all cost. These boxes are twin boxes, and your son and I are twin keys, which means, the same thing will happen to you if you try and destroy him. If you want to continue to live your pathetic excuse for a life, then you will leave your son alone.”

“No,” Mr. Park said, “The spirits are gone. They can no longer protect you.”

“Did you know my mother, Mr. Park?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“We had some business dealings,” he said.

“Then you know that my mother was ruthless,” Kyungsoo told him, “and that her business acumen was her gift. You know that she knew how to outplay her opponents and that she always held the upper hand, or made it seem as if she did when she didn’t. Do you think a woman like that wouldn’t anticipate a spirit’s lack of permanency? It’s not the spirit that watches over me and protects me. It is something much worse, much more terrifying, and much more permanent, and that very creature, watches over Chanyeol as well. I don’t care to do you any favors, but trust me when I tell you, you do not want to threaten your son ever again.”

For all his bravado, Mr. Park had no words, and he looked at his son, perhaps in a new light, but not appearing able to process it.

“We should go,” Kyungsoo said to Chanyeol, who stared at his father, but Kyungsoo couldn’t read the expression on his face.

“I don’t think you’ll ever change,” Chanyeol said to him. “But if you do…” Chanyeol looked down at the box, and then shook his head to himself and walked away through the large collection that rightfully belonged to him.

Kyungsoo looked back at Mr. Park and said, “You better find a way to make that will reappear. His mother loved him, and she left all this to him. It’s his. And you need to let him have this connection to his mother. I know you don’t care, but you need to do that, and I swear to my best friend that if you don’t make that happen, I will have both of my demons do to you what your demon just did to me, and it will be two times worse, and you will not survive it. You have my contact information.”

He walked away, not caring to even hear the man’s voice or anything he would have to say, and Jongdae, Sehun, and Wendy followed him outside.

He found Chanyeol crouching down on the ground, his arms wrapped around his knees as he stared down at the box, tears spilling onto them. Kyungsoo knelt down beside him and pulled him into a hug, which Chanyeol leaned into.

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo told him. “It’s all over now.”

“Part of me thought,” Chanyeol said, and he sniffled and tried again. “Part of me thought that maybe there was a tiny piece of him that loved me. Somewhere deep down inside, hidden beneath his greed. But I was wrong.”

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo said again. “He never deserved a great son like you. And your mom loved you enough for two parents. Heck, your mom loved you enough for ten parents. You didn’t need him. And you’re not alone, okay? You have me, and Baek, and Irene, and Yixing, and Jongdae, well maybe not Jongdae, and Jongin…”

“You’ve got me,” Jongdae said, crouching down in front of them, and he placed a comforting hand on Chanyeol’s arm and rubbed it. “You’ve got all of us. We’re a team, and after all this, there’s no one that’s going to understand us except for each other. Sorry, but you’re part of the club now.”

“It’s a fun club,” Jongin said, standing beside them. “We even have a goddess.”

“Here we go,” Jongdae said, rolling his eyes and standing back up.

Chanyeol looked up at them, looking calmer, and then he looked over at Kyungsoo, and said, “I need a job. How much can I make as your partner?”

“Nothing,” Kyungsoo said with a soft smile, “We don’t get paid. But I can provide room and board and make you dinner.”

“I’ll take it,” Chanyeol said, and he leaned back into him, needing another hug.

They took a moment to collect themselves a bit more, and then filed into the cars. Kyungsoo was about to get in when he spotted Minseok, standing off to the side watching him as Tan sat on top of a passed out bodyguard, flicking her tail back and forth as it hit the unconscious man’s face repeatedly.

“Give me a sec,” Kyungsoo told Jongin, and he walked toward Minseok, not sure if he should be concerned that he was still hanging around. It didn’t seem like death was waiting for him at the moment, but what did he know.

When he reached the reaper, he asked, “Is someone else dying tonight?”

“Not that I need to be bothered with,” Minseok said. “I am curious about the story you told Mr. Park. The watcher is only tied to you, not Chanyeol.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo said with a sheepish smile, “but I figured if Mr. Park had Chanyeol for all these years and never figured out he was the key, then he probably would never figure out enough to call my bluff.”

“I see,” Minseok said, and then his eyes narrowed a little as he looked to the side and shook his head, “Watchers are our brethren,” he said, turning his attention back to Kyungsoo, “but they are an enigma even to us. Reaper myth is that they are fallen reapers, much like how demons are fallen angels. So since they lose their privileges of collecting souls, they warn people instead that a soul will be collected soon. Some reapers believe that some watchers still take souls themselves, but not when they are ready. We do not really know the truth, but the watcher that was in the room with you tonight was well aware of its purpose. You are well-protected, Kyungsoo, but just know that when it is your time, even a watcher cannot stop a reaper from doing its duty.”

“I figured as much,” Kyungsoo said, and then he smiled at Minseok. “I hope when the day comes, that it’s you.”

“We take requests. I can see to it that your request is fulfilled.”

“Really?” Kyungsoo said amused. “Okay, but only when it’s my time. Don’t even think of coming for me earlier.”

Minseok looked at him, unamused for a moment, and then he appeared to realize something and said, “Oh, you are making a joke. I see. Ha ha.”

Kyungsoo snorted and looked over at Tan, “Take care of Minseok,” he told her, and the cat stared at him, as if expecting him to say something else of importance. “And you, take care of yourself,” Kyungsoo told Minseok.

“I am sure I will be seeing you again soon,” Minseok told him, looking as if he didn’t understand the point of Kyungsoo saying goodbye.

“I don’t think so,” Kyungsoo told him, “I’m giving up ghost hunting.”

“I do not think you are,” Minseok told him. “I will see you out in the field.”

Minseok nodded at Tan then turned to walk away, Tan hopping up from the bodyguard and prancing beside her reaper as they both disappeared into the night.

Kyungsoo watched them for a moment, feeling amused, and then shaking his head and walking back to the car that sat waiting for him.

***

They arrived back at the site, where Sehun insisted he’d work through the night to try and cleanse the area and rid it of whatever residual energy remained. Junmyeon and Yeri both assured Kyungsoo that they would protect Sehun from any lingering revenants.

“I’m going to drop Wendy off at her hotel,” Jongdae told Kyungsoo, “then I’m heading to the hospital.”

“We’ll meet you there,” Kyungsoo told him, and they parted ways, Kyungsoo walking with a subdued Chanyeol to the car he had left parked across the street.

In the car, Chanyeol was silent as he drove, and Kyungsoo kept rubbing his arm, or his shoulder, or his neck, but Chanyeol had no reactions to any of it.

“I just want to run in and check up on Baek,” Kyungsoo told him, “and then we can go home. I won’t be long.”

“Take as much time as you need,” Chanyeol finally spoke. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Of course I’m going to worry about you,” Kyungsoo said, “and you can’t make me not worry about you, so don’t bother telling me again.”

Kyungsoo put a radio station on to help fill the silence, but also to give Chanyeol even more of an excuse to zone out if he needed to.

They arrived at the hospital, and Kyungsoo didn’t expect Chanyeol to get out of the car with him, but he did. They walked into the emergency room, finding Taemin on his phone just inside the doors.

“Hey,” he said, waving at them, “He’s been transferred to his own room. He’s still unconscious.”

Taemin gave them directions after Kyungsoo let him know Jongdae and Jongin were on their way as well so that he could stay down there to greet them, too.

Kyungsoo’s stomach flipped a few times, knowing that even if Minseok hadn’t shown up to take Baekhyun tonight, it didn’t mean he couldn’t show up at some point this morning to do it.

He walked into the hospital room to find Yixing sitting by Baekhyun’s side, holding his hand and looking worried.

“Hey,” Irene said, getting up from the chair by the window where Seulgi and Joy were sitting together beside her on the floor chatting. “How’d everything go?”

She gave Kyungsoo a hug, and he gave her a squeeze back, needing the comfort more than he realized.

“It’s done,” Kyungsoo told her. “The spirit in the second box was destroyed as well.”

“Good,” Irene said, and she looked at Chanyeol and gave him a supportive smile, “Good.”

“How’s he doing?” Kyungsoo asked, looking at Baekhyun who appeared to be simply asleep.

“He lost so much energy,” Irene said. “That spirit did a number on him. The doctors are a bit confounded, not surprisingly, and they’re keeping him for observation, but it seems that the spirit may have drained up some of his life force. Yixing is doing what he can to help it restore quicker. Joy’s been helping too, giving Yixing a break when it seems he’s running a little low himself.”

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding and took a deep breath as he walked over to the other side of Baekhyun’s bed, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

“You did well, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo told him, never thinking he’d miss Baekhyun’s loudness and energy so much. He wished he’d wake up right then and say he was fine and that they all needed to go to the _noraebang_. “Just rest up. You deserve it.”

Jongin and Jennie arrived just then as well, and Jongin came over by Kyungsoo’s side and rubbed his back before looking down at Baekhyun.

“He’s going to be fine,” Jongin assured him, and Yixing as well, who looked up at Jongin and gave a small nod before looking back at Baekhyun.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let him come along,” Kyungsoo still said, the dread in his stomach not allowing himself to not feel guilt.

“Don’t do that,” Jongin said. “You always want to make everything your fault. Baekhyun is a grown man who did what he had to do with the gift he was given. If he hadn’t been there, you might not be standing here right now.”

“It’s true,” Irene said, standing by the foot of the bed. “You guys couldn’t hear me, but I could hear you guys. Baekhyun communicated with the rest of the team about how he felt the spirit, and he orchestrated the plan and timing for jumping in to help you based on everything he sensed.”

“He wanted you to know what the spirit was thinking,” Yixing said, not removing his eyes from Baekhyun as he spoke. “That is why he made sure to connect with it. He knew it would help you figure out what to do if you knew what was truly in the spirit’s heart, not just what the spirit told you.”

“Seems he was right, yeah?” Jongin said to Kyungsoo with a little smile.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded, and he squeezed Baekhyun’s hand again. “Thanks. Now wake up already so we can go to the _noraebang_.”

Jongdae arrived not long after, and once he was caught up on Baekhyun’s condition, Kyungsoo stepped aside so Jongdae could take his hand instead.

“You don’t always have to be a martyr, dumbass,” Jongdae said to Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo smiled and walked back over toward Chanyeol, who leaned against the wall, just watching everything in silence.

“Let’s go,” Kyungsoo told Chanyeol, and Chanyeol left the room.

Kyungsoo looked back at everyone, feeling apologetic, but Jongin saved him from explanation.

“Go,” Jongin told him, “We’ll keep you updated if anything changes.”

Kyungsoo thanked him and left the room, catching up with Chanyeol who was already down the hall thanks to the long strides afforded him by his long legs.

Once they were in the car, Chanyeol didn’t bother pushing the button to start the ignition. He stared at the steering wheel, and Kyungsoo wondered if he was waiting for the car to turn itself on.

“Do you need me to drive?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“I don’t have a home to go back to,” Chanyeol stated.

Kyungsoo reached out to give a light squeeze to his forearm.

“Just drive to my place,” Kyungsoo told him.

“I mean in general,” Chanyeol said. “Even though it wasn’t filled with warmth or love, it was the only home I had. Even though I didn’t end up ultimately growing up in it, it was like a home base. A place that existed to center me whenever I got too lost. What happens now when I get too lost?”

“You don’t have to think about those things right now,” Kyungsoo told him. “Here, let me drive.”

Kyungsoo opened his car door to get out, and it wasn’t until he opened the driver’s side door that Chanyeol finally made any motion to get out and change sides.

Once Kyungsoo had the car started, he looked at Chanyeol and said, “We’ll figure it all out, okay? Tonight, let’s just rest.”

Chanyeol didn’t say anything, and Kyungsoo probably thought that Chanyeol thought Kyungsoo was crazy. But Kyungsoo meant what he said. They were connected to each other whether Chanyeol wanted them to be or not, and Kyungsoo didn’t have his immediate family anymore either, so as far as he was concerned, if the boxes fated them to be twin keys, then that meant they were fated to be in each other’s lives in some way.

Kyungsoo was proud of himself for navigating the streets of Seoul and getting them to his place in one piece, and once they were inside his apartment, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to think about when he had first arrived to take on Mr. Park’s initial request of cleaning out his haunted building. He couldn’t have predicted then that this is how it all would’ve ended up.

Chanyeol took off his shoes and went straight to bed, not bothering to remove any of his clothes. Kyungsoo felt pretty exhausted enough to do the same as well, but he managed to get himself into his T-shirt and boxers. He turned off the light and crawled into the tiny bed with the big giant who took up most of the space, yet somehow made himself so small by the way he had tucked into himself, needing to find comfort in his own self.

Kyungsoo let him, not holding him, but simply snuggling into his back, placing a soft kiss on it that Chanyeol probably didn’t even feel through the fabric of his shirt, and closing his eyes so that he could give in to the exhaustion of the day.

***

When Kyungsoo woke up, it was to find Chanyeol sitting on the floor, knees pulled up with his arms around them as he stared out the sole window at nothing at all.

Kyungsoo took a moment to adjust to the light and sat up, looking toward him again as he rubbed his eyes awake.

“Breakfast?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“My father’s assistant wants to meet with me today,” Chanyeol said.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, feeling concerned. He shifted to face toward him better. “Did they say why?”

“To go over matters,” Chanyeol stated, and he gave a sniffle that made Kyungsoo pout.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo then said, throwing the blanket off him. “Let’s go then.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked, looking up at him and wiping his cheeks.

“Let’s go. I’m getting dressed.”

“You don’t have to come with me,” Chanyeol said, getting up from the floor.

“Yes, I do. First of all, I don’t trust your dad. Second of all, I don’t trust anyone that works for your dad.”

Kyungsoo found a shirt hanging from his chair that didn’t seem to smell too bad and tossed it on, then pulled on a random pair of jeans lying around.

Chanyeol watched him, but said nothing. Kyungsoo disappeared into the bathroom to freshen up and brush his teeth. He came back out to find Chanyeol sitting on the bed waiting for him.

“Ready?” Kyungsoo asked him, and Chanyeol shrugged.

Per the assistant’s directions, Chanyeol ended up driving back to the warehouse, and Kyungsoo had sent a text to Jongin to be on alert in case things went horribly wrong.

The assistant, an older woman who looked like she had lived many lives already, stood waiting for them with a briefcase in her hand. She appeared to have no one with her.

She greeted them both once they were out of the car and motioned for them to follow her inside.

The very table that had once served Kyungsoo and Jongin sushi and wine, was now used for another purpose as she placed the briefcase on it and motioned for them to sit in the tall chairs. She made herself comfortable in one across from them.

“Your father,” she began, opening the briefcase, “has a number of instructions. First,” she said, taking out a document and sliding it across to Chanyeol, “this is your mother’s original will. It now belongs to you. As outlined in the will, all of the antique contents in this warehouse were bequeathed to you, as were the antique contents that were part of the collection that were kept in the house. Your father has ordered they be removed from the house and brought to this warehouse so that all pieces are here and accounted for.”

She then pulled out a booklet and slid that across to Chanyeol as well.

“This is a catalog that inventories every piece in the collection. It was originally created by your grandfather and kept up to date by your mother until she passed. Nothing was added to or removed from the collection after her passing, so it should still be accurate.”

The assistant then pulled out another document to give him.

“These are the deeds to your condos in Japan, Hong Kong, and London. They are in the process of legally being transferred to your name, as are the titles for your cars,” she said, handing him a folder with more documents inside.

And then another folder.

“This is the trust that your mother had set up in your name. Your father was supposed to have given it to you when you turned twenty.”

And another folder.

“This is the account that holds your inheritance from your grandfather’s estate. Your father had originally used most of it, but he’s having his accountants replenish it today to its original amount.”

And yet another document.

“This is your mother’s death certificate. Your father knew you’d prefer to have it.”

Chanyeol took it, looked down at his stack of documents and folders, and seemed confused.

“Your father will be leaving tonight for a business trip,” she then explained. “He’ll be gone for a couple of days. He scheduled it so that you could get your items out of the house. The warehouse belongs to him, so you will need to arrange for the transfer of all these items as well, but you have more time to do so. I just need to be notified once it’s empty again. Do you have any questions?”

Chanyeol looked at her, then asked, “What’s the catch?”

“Your father has one simple request,” the assistant told him, “To never see you again.”

Chanyeol bit his lip and Kyungsoo wanted to find Chanyeol’s father and personally pull a demon on him.

“If you need anything in relation to what I have told you today, contact me directly,” she placed a business card on top of his things. “That is a direct line to me. You will be contacted by lawyers and accountants to settle the matters in regards to these transitions. They will report all status updates to me. Once the final tie between you and your father has been broken, that will be the only time I will be allowed to update your father on the status, and only to tell him that everything is complete. Also, please let me know when you get a new phone and your new number, as I will need to remove you from the current plan.”

Kyungsoo knew that Chanyeol wanted to cry, and he put his hand on Chanyeol’s back to rub it. Kyungsoo looked at the woman and asked, “What’s it like to work with someone who’s pure evil?”

The woman gave him a small glare then closed her briefcase and stood up. She then looked at Chanyeol.

“I wish you the best,” she said, and then left them alone in the warehouse.

Chanyeol dropped his head into his arms on the table, allowing himself to shed some tears, and Kyungsoo continued to rub his back and let him cry for as long as he needed to.

Then Chanyeol wiped his face with the hem of his shirt and looked around.

“What am I supposed to do with all this stuff?”

Kyungsoo looked around at the endless displays and even more endless crates that had never even been opened.

“You could donate it to museums,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Honestly, it’s a good question. I got a bunch of things like this from my mother too and it’s all in storage because I didn’t know what to do with it.”

“Maybe I will donate it,” Chanyeol nodded.

“I can’t believe your father stole your inheritances,” Kyungsoo said, feeling irate for him. “I mean, I can believe it, but still.”

“He could’ve kept it,” Chanyeol said. “And the condos. I have all this stuff now, and all this money, but I’m completely alone, and now that I don’t work for him, I have no purpose. I don’t know how to do anything else.”

“This is the dumbest thing you’ve said all day,” Kyungsoo said, looking at him annoyed. “Weren’t you going to be my ghost hunting partner? And anyway, you can be a professional gamer. E-sports is huge, especially here and where I live. And also, I guess you didn’t hear us last night, but you have a new family. Me, and Baek, and Jongin, and even Jongdae said he would be there for you now, so you’re not completely alone. Which, to be fair, is something I had to learn too along the way. I know it’ll take you some time, but you’ll get there, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“I don’t get attached for a reason,” Chanyeol reminded him.

“Oh, right,” Kyungsoo nodded. “And what was that reason again?”

“Because there’s no point. Because I don’t stay in one place for long before I get pulled away for wherever my father needs me to go for whatever I need to do next. It’s easier to not get attached. Less painful.”

“Your father’s out of the picture,” Kyungsoo said. “Now you get to decide how long you stay and when and where you go. You’re in control of your life now. No more moving locations because of your father.”

“I’m used to being transient though,” Chanyeol said. “I don’t know if I can stay in one place and plant roots.”

“How about you just give it a try?” Kyungsoo took his hand into his and looked him in the eyes. “How about you come live with me in LA? My place has two rooms, and right now the other room is just a guest room, but we can turn it into a gaming room. You can work on becoming a professional gamer while I bring you food and smother you with kisses to remind you of my existence outside of your gaming world.”

Chanyeol looked at him in disbelief, “You’ve been thinking about this haven’t you?”

“I have a very vivid imagination,” Kyungsoo told him. “Either way, I bet you’d feel less alone if you had me as a roommate.”

“We’ve…” Chanyeol shook his head, “We’ve only known each other for about a week.”

“What does that have to do with being my roommate?” Kyungsoo said.

“It seems like a bad idea?”

“That’s why you should try it out. If you find you hate living with me, then you can move back to your condo in Japan and spend the cold winter nights in the arms of your sugar daddies instead.” Kyungsoo smirked.

Chanyeol still looked disbelieving, but he bit his lip, and seemed to think about it for a moment.

“Is your bed bigger at your place?” Chanyeol asked, running a thumb over Kyungsoo’s knuckles.

“It’s a queen. But I can get us a king if you’d prefer. My room’s big enough for it.”

“A king sounds nice,” Chanyeol said, and he leaned in to give Kyungsoo a simple peck on the lips. “Thank you for being here with me. I’ve never had anyone do something like this for me before.”

“I told you I was an exception.”

“You are,” Chanyeol said, and he looked into his eyes, then leaned in to give him another kiss, this one softer and lingering.

Kyungsoo felt elated by this turn of events, and he smiled into the kiss, and the one that followed, and the one after that, feeling the pressure that had been in his chest for days ease up just a bit more.

***

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol drove to the site after he had received a call from Jongin to meet him there. They parked and got out, finding that Jongdae had accompanied Jongin and Jennie to the site as well.

“Hey,” Jongin said when he saw them. “Everything turn out alright?”

“Everything turned out,” Kyungsoo said, “We’ll just leave it at that. What about this place?”

“I think I got it all,” Sehun said, “but I asked Jongdae if he could bless the site just to be on the safe side.”

“I had Joy bless the holy water,” Jongdae said with a smile, “Since she’s a higher level angel than Yixing, I figured it would be a good idea. I covered all the pertinent areas, so we should be good.”

“Taemin is stopping by to do a scan of the area and collect any equipment we may have missed,” Sehun said. “Junmyeon and Yeri tried to collect them all while I was working.”

“What about Mr. Hae’s body?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Junmyeon took Mr. Hae’s body to the revenants so they could take it with them back underground,” Sehun explained. “It was the perfect distraction to get me past that area so I could work on the other side. Now that Jongdae has blessed the site, they shouldn’t be able to be summoned again.”

“And the six bodyguards?” Kyungsoo then asked.

“Junmyeon and Yeri moved their bodies several blocks away,” Sehun said. “Because they were attacked by angels and demons, they won’t remember much of what happened, so it’ll take a couple of days for them to get their bearings and try and put the pieces together. Once they do, they won’t believe what little they remember anyway.”

“I imagine that the police will question them once Mr. Hae is reported as missing,” Jongin said, “but it won’t matter much. Irene disabled all the CCTV cameras in the area, so there won’t be anything to prove they were even here.”

“I wonder what will happen to Hae Corp now,” Kyungsoo said, knowing Mr. Hae’s disappearance would make national news.

“That’s for the shareholders to figure out,” Jongin said, “Although I’m sure Irene will be on top of it with how obsessed she is with the whole story.”

“Speaking of stories,” Jennie said, smiling at Jongin, “I think it’s time for us to tell Kyungsoo a good one.”

“You’re so right,” Jongin said, smiling at her as well, “I’m hungry, are you hungry?”

“I haven’t eaten yet today,” Jennie said.

“That’s unacceptable,” Jongin said as he took her hand. “I will find you a feast.”

Kyungsoo watched them head to the car and looked at the others before asking, “Am I meant to follow?”

“I think so?” Jongdae said with a shrug.

“I’m hungry too,” Sehun said, rubbing his stomach.

“I will find you a feast as well,” Junmyeon said, “And then you will sleep.”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo agreed, “Please get some rest. You’ve done more than enough. I can’t even thank you for everything.”

“It’s nothing,” Sehun waved off, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Please make sure he rests,” Kyungsoo said to Junmyeon.

“I will,” the demon assured him.

“Can we have some more of those sinful delicacies we had yesterday?” Yeri asked Junmyeon.

“The ice cream?” Junmyeon asked.

“No, no, the ones that did this,” she said, making a spiral motion with her finger.

“Oh, yes, the potato tornadoes,” Junmyeon nodded. “Of course, I believe we can find more next to the place that had the chocolate boba that Sehun likes.”

“Let us go then,” Yeri said, marching away from them and toward the direction of the nearest subway line.

Kyungsoo hugged Sehun and waved goodbye to Junmyeon as they headed after her.

“I should probably find my way to some food as well,” Jongdae said, scratching the back of his neck as he looked after them.

“Why don’t you come eat with us?” Kyungsoo asked him before he thought the situation through. “I mean, unless you don’t want to suffer through mutual god admiration that will make you lose your appetite.”

Kyungsoo was glad when Jongdae smirked and let out a soft snort, and then he looked over at Chanyeol, who had stayed quiet by Kyungsoo’s side.

“Lunch with the gods and you and your two boyfriends,” Jongdae said looking toward the car and then back at Kyungsoo, “Sure, why not.”

“Jongin was never my boyfriend,” Kyungsoo tried to explain again.

“It was a joke,” Jongdae said, stopping him before he could continue. “I’m starving and I want to hear the story. Let’s go.”

They ended up at a traditional Korean restaurant that Jennie had recommended as one of her favorites. It was empty when they walked in, and the friends were happy to be able to have it to themselves for a little bit to discuss things in perceived privacy.

They ordered rice balls for the table and some traditional soups they were known for, and then Jongin got down to business as he sat across from Kyungsoo.

“First of all, your grandmother is an amazing woman,” Jongin said.

“It was so lovely speaking with her,” Jennie agreed, pouring soju into everyone’s shot glasses. “She has a beautiful soul.”

“You guys were able to speak with her?” Kyungsoo asked. “Like an actual conversation?”

“It depends on your definition of an actual conversation,” Jongin pointed out. “She didn’t tell us anything different than what she told you. But then we realized, it was because she was telling us everything we needed to know.”

“Once we realized that, we confirmed it with her,” Jennie agreed, smiling as Jongin asked her permission to take the bottle from her so he could pour her shot for her. “At one time, she was in love with a man, who was in love with her. They wanted to be together, but couldn’t be, so in a final act of love, he gifted her a box that he knew would protect her and provide for her the way he wanted to but couldn’t.”

“Your grandparents,” Jongin then continued, “arranged for their daughter to be married to the son of a family they were friends with. As the oldest daughter, they wanted to make sure she married someone they deemed worthy, someone who also came from a wealthy family. Before they were married, your mother and father had already decided to become business partners, which is why the two families thought they would be a good fit. They announced that after they were married, they were going to move to the U.S. to start their company. Your grandmother decided then to gift the box to your mother because she was afraid of her being so far away. She knew that she would feel lonely being in a loveless marriage, so she gifted her the box, knowing she couldn’t be there to protect and love her, and hoping that the box would do the job for her oldest daughter.”

“She told you all that?” Kyungsoo asked in disbelief.

“No,” Jongin said, then explained. “After we spoke to your grandmother, we needed more info to fill in the gaps. I reached out to the executor of your will, who coincidentally had a list of questions you had sent him, and informed me that he had the answers but hadn’t had a chance to reply to you yet. So, we got the questions you asked and his answers then asked him questions to round out the story of what we were learning.”

“And what we learned,” Jennie said, “was that your mother leaving you the box in her will was a continuation of the box’s legacy. She intended you only to have it when she was no longer around to love you and protect you.”

“And that’s when it clicked,” Jongin said. “We suddenly remembered what was written in the sacred texts.”

“The Harry Potter books?” Chanyeol asked, looking unsure and dubious.

“Yes,” Jongin said, “Lily Potter sacrificed herself to save Harry, and when she did, she transferred her powers of protection and love to him, which is why Voldemort couldn’t kill him.”

“That’s what made us realize that your mother did the same to you,” Jennie said with a big smile. “Each person with that box transferred it with love, and each person that received it was the only one that could use the power that was inside.”

“Which meant,” Jongin said, even as Kyungsoo nodded in understanding, “that the person who received it was the key.”

“Amazing,” Jongdae said, “I can’t believe it was something that simple.”

“This is why it’s important to always remember the sacred texts,” Jennie said, and they all nodded in agreement.

Except Chanyeol, who whispered under his breath, “It’s just Harry Potter,” before drinking his soju.

“And there’s one more thing,” Jongin then added as their rice balls came out, the round balls so large that Kyungsoo offered to split his with Chanyeol. “You asked your executor about when the item had gone missing, and you asked him if he knew the heads of SamSa, Hae, and Taeyang. He told us that your parents did have some business dealings with all three, but that they never trusted any of them to go deeper into business with them. Then he told us that he remembers your parents alerting him to cut all business dealings with SamSa after Mr. SamSa had come to LA to meet with your parents over some things. When he inquired further, he thought it strange that both of your parents, who told him everything, wouldn’t explain why. I asked him when did that happen. He told me the date, and guess what it correlates with?”

“What?” Kyungsoo asked, staring at him with both suspense and a mouthful of the best tasting rice ball he’d ever had.

“The day that Baek almost died,” Jongin said. “The day you first saw the watcher.”

Kyungsoo looked surprised to hear this, and Jongin nodded and continued.

“Putting two and two together, what appeared to have happened is that Mr. SamSa stole the box, your mother realized it and broke off all ties. In the meantime, Mr. SamSa stealing the box meant that the defenses of the box activated, since he wasn’t the key.”

“Which unknowingly to him,” Jennie pointed out, “was the start of his demise.”

“With the defenses activated, that night while you were in a dangerous situation, your protector appeared as a precaution because the box was in the wrong hands. The night your parents died, you weren’t in a dangerous situation, but your mother, who was the rightful key was, and the watcher showed up, whether to pay his respects or assure her that you’d do your job, we don’t know, but still.”

“Do I have a watcher?” Chanyeol then asked them, and he looked at Kyungsoo. “You told my father your watcher protected me, too.”

“I made that up,” Kyungsoo confessed, “To scare him so that he didn’t do anything crazy.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, nodding to himself in understanding.

“Your mother must have left different instructions,” Jongin told him.

“Wait,” Kyungsoo said, remembering what he witnessed last night. “You smiled before the spirit went away. Did it say something to you?”

Chanyeol was silent for a moment and then gave a soft smile.

“The spirit told me that my mother loved me more than anyone else in the whole world, and that she was always so proud of me for being so intelligent, and more importantly, so kind.”

Kyungsoo smiled and squeezed his shoulder, then said, “She’s right. You are intelligent and kind.”

“Her love lives inside of you,” Jennie then said with a smile of her own as she reached over to Jongin’s plate with her chopsticks to take a piece of his rice ball. “I can sense it. That’s how strong it is.”

“It is strong,” Jongin agreed, pushing the plate toward her for easier access.

“Thank you for saying that,” Chanyeol said to them both. “I believe it is too.”

They ate in good spirits after that, ordering more rice balls to accompany their delicious soups and discussing how much longer they would need to stay in town for.

“I think I’m going to stick around for a bit,” Jongin said, glancing at Jennie who smiled.

“Had a feeling,” Kyungsoo said. “I think I am too, since Chanyeol has some things to wrap up before he comes to live with me in LA.”

“Had a feeling,” Jongdae said, grabbing another one of the bottles of soju on the table that still had a little bit left and pouring the rest into his glass.

“I won’t move in with him if it bothers you,” Chanyeol said. “I know we haven’t known each other long, and it’s a bit weird and crazy for me to move in with him.”

Jongdae looked over at him appearing to be a bit surprised he had essentially asked his permission. But then Jongdae shook his head and said, “It makes sense. You should. You two have a strong connection, boxes or not.”

“You are such a ho,” Jennie said to Kyungsoo.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, furrowing his brows at her, “I am not. I’ve apologized to everyone at this table and meant it. Wait, how did you know?”

Kyungsoo looked at Jongin who gave a sheepish smile and shrugged at him apologetically.

“The fact that you are at this table sitting with four people and have slept with three of them makes you a ho,” Jennie said, challenging him with narrowed eyes.

“Is this your way of saying you’re upset you haven’t slept with me yet?” Kyungsoo challenged back.

“Please don’t deflect your fantasies onto me.”

“What is happening right now?” Jongin asked, looking wide-eyed between them. “Please don’t fight.”

“We’re not fighting,” Kyungsoo and Jennie told him at the same time.

“This seems like fighting,” Chanyeol said, clearing his throat, perhaps feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“Or sexual tension,” Jongdae pointed out.

“Ew,” Kyungsoo and Jennie reacted, also at the same time.

“Ew?” Jongin said, visibly confused, “Have you two not seen each other?”

“She looks five,” Kyungsoo said, very much like a five-year-old who was upset with someone would say.

“So do you,” Jennie said, very much in the same way. And then, just to spite him, she added, “And you act like it too.”

“Ah,” Jongdae nodded, “You do seem to have a type, Jongin.”

“Wait, no,” Jongin said, now seeming confused. “I don’t think either of you look five.”

“At least you don’t like old men like Chanyeol does,” Kyungsoo said, snickering as Chanyeol looked at him surprised.

“You like old men?” And this time it was Jongdae and Jongin that asked at the same time.

“No,” Chanyeol said, “I mean, I tend to hook up with older men, but not old. Not like grandpas or anything.”

“How much older?” Jongdae asked intrigued.

“What’s the oldest?” Jongin asked.

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol asked, looking embarrassed. “I don’t tend to ask their ages.”

“He hooked up with his father’s married business partner,” Kyungsoo spilled, and Chanyeol looked like he wanted to die.

“Ah, I’ve done something similar,” Jongin nodded.

“No wonder you were into him,” Jongdae said to Kyungsoo.

“I did find that exciting,” Kyungsoo admitted, maybe feeling a little embarrassed himself.

“You are so strange,” Jennie said to him.

“Says the fake parapsychologist.”

“I am a real parapsychologist. It’s not my fault you failed every test.”

“Your tests are dumb.”

“Are they not fighting again?” Jongdae asked Jongin, who shrugged and looked confused once more.

“I would like to take the tests,” Chanyeol said to Jennie. “Kyungsoo had mentioned I should ask you.”

“Of course,” Jennie said with a big smile. “We can set up a time that works for you.”

Jongin offered to pay the bill, saying he wanted to reward everyone for their amazing efforts last night, and though they protested, he did it anyway.

They left the restaurant and stepped into the hazy afternoon, then headed back to the hospital to check up on Baekhyun.

***

Kyungsoo entered Baekhyun’s hospital room to find the medium finally awake, and Kyungsoo smiled as he rushed by his side and gave him as much of a hug as he could.

“You’re alive,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Of course I am,” Baekhyun said.

“He was able to regain a lot of his energy and life force while he slept,” Yixing said with a smile, still sitting beside him and holding his hand.

“Thank you for helping him,” Kyungsoo told him.

“You missed rice balls,” Jongdae told him, bouncing over to Baekhyun’s side and messing his already messy hair up even messier.

“Not rice balls,” Baekhyun said looking devastated.

“They were the best rice balls I’ve ever had,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“Why didn’t you bring me any?”

“They wouldn’t have survived the car trip uneaten,” Jongdae told him with a laugh. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Baekhyun said, then he sucked in his lip in thought and said, “Tired.” The medium looked over to see Chanyeol, then looked at Kyungsoo, “Do we need to get rid of the one in the second box?”

“Jongdae already took care of it,” Kyungsoo let him know.

“With Sehun and Wendy’s help,” Jongdae stated.

Baekhyun nodded and looked relieved.

“Okay, so what’s next then?” he asked.

“You getting your energy back,” Yixing said.

“What happened after I passed out?” Baekhyun asked, looking at all of them for more information.

Jongdae pulled up a seat to start explaining to him everything that he had missed.

***

Once Baekhyun had fallen back asleep, all caught up and happy with how everything had turned out, Kyungsoo looked at Jongin and mentioned he would be heading out.

“Yeah, same,” Jongin said. “Besides, I think Baek’s in good hands,” he said, as Yixing sat beside him still watching and Jongdae sat on the other side, holding his hand, but resting his head on Baekhyun’s arm as he napped as well.

“He really is,” Joy said, standing beside them with her hands held in front of her and a smile toward Yixing. “Don’t you think?”

Yixing looked at her and then looked down at Baekhyun. The angel raised Baekhyun’s hand up to his lips and gave it a small peck before placing it back down and letting it go. He stood up and took in the scene of Jongdae napping on Baekhyun’s arm and how peaceful Baekhyun slept with a small smile on his face.

“Yes,” Yixing said looking at Joy, and then he walked over to Kyungsoo. “Let him know, that even though I’ve returned to where I belong, I am always protecting him.”

“I think he’ll know that,” Kyungsoo said, feeling a little lump in his throat for some reason, “but I’ll let him know.”

Yixing nodded then looked at Jongin and bowed his head, “It’s been a pleasure, your gloriousness. Please call on me whenever needed.”

“You’re always needed,” Jongin told him, “But you’ve done more than enough. I don’t think any of us can ever properly thank you.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help himself from reaching out to pull Yixing into a hug. He hadn’t realized until that moment how much he was going to miss him. But it made sense. Yixing couldn’t stay by Baekhyun’s side forever. The longer he stayed with him, the more the temptation would be there for him to fall, and it was very clear that Yixing’s feelings for Baekhyun were far more than just that of a guardian angel.

Jongin hugged him as well, and then it was Irene’s turn as she also thanked him for everything. When Yixing walked toward the door, he shook Chanyeol’s hand and said, “I am happy to have met you,” before looking back toward Baekhyun one last time, then leaving the room with Joy.

“Why am I an emotional mess right now?” Irene said, wiping a tear from her eye.

“I don’t know,” Jongin said, sniffling as he did the same.

“I knew it had to happen eventually,” Kyungsoo said, “But I’m sad.”

“Why did he have to leave?” Chanyeol asked, looking upset by it as well.

“It was time,” Kyungsoo told him. “The longer he stayed, the more he risked breaking the rules.”

“His feelings for Baekhyun were strong,” Jongin agreed. “He had been starting to cross that line for a while now.”

“I don’t think it’s coincidental that he appeared when the watcher did,” Irene said, appearing to think this through. “Your watcher appearing probably triggered him to come down to our realm. Normally guardian angels help us out by manipulating a situation. Yixing may have thought that with a watcher, the situation was too dangerous for Baekhyun and that he needed to handle it himself. Now that he knows your watcher isn’t a threat, he doesn’t have to be here.”

“Not a bad theory,” Jongin nodded.

“I think you’re right,” Kyungsoo told her. “I hope Baek isn’t too upset when he wakes up and finds out.”

“I think he’ll understand,” Jongin said, with a knowing smile.

Kyungsoo took in the sight of his medium and exorcist again, and then he thought about what Joy said, “Wait…” he said. “What did Joy mean…”

Jongin cracked up and squeezed his shoulder.

“Just accept it and let fate do its thing,” Jongin told him.

“But…” Kyungsoo looked confused as his eyes darted from Baekhyun to Jongdae and back, “Do they even like each other like that?”

“Not yet,” Jongin said, “But it’ll be fun to watch them figure it out, yeah?”

He supposed it would, even if he felt slightly disturbed, and possibly a bit jealous, by the idea. But after he and Chanyeol left the hospital, Kyungsoo sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window wondering how he would feel about seeing Baekhyun and Jongdae together. He wouldn’t have a choice, and he certainly didn’t have the right to say anything about it after everything he had done to Jongdae. Deep down inside, he knew that they both could use someone like the other in their life in that loving way that they both deserved. The thought then made him smile.

“I got a text from my father’s assistant while we were at the hospital,” Chanyeol informed Kyungsoo. “My father’s left for the airport, so do you mind if I head there to pick up some things?”

“Of course I don’t mind,” Kyungsoo said. “Let’s get your stuff.”

Chanyeol drove them toward the north of the city, not far from where his aunt lived, and Kyungsoo soon discovered that Chanyeol lived in a gated community, which they were let into with ease by the guards.

The house was as large and grandiose as Kyungsoo expected, the type of house that was built to make a statement and not be a true home with warmth and love at all.

“His wife’s not here,” Chanyeol said as he let him in. “She’s staying in a hotel tonight per my father’s orders. He does always think of everything.”

“Almost everything,” Kyungsoo said.

Once inside, Kyungsoo could sense the morose energy. It was the type of energy that existed in homes where happiness didn’t exist. It didn’t surprise Kyungsoo that, after his boarding school stints, Chanyeol had wanted to keep hopping around the world instead of coming back to such a cold place.

Chanyeol led him up the stairs to his room, large in size, but not decorated as if lived in.

“No posters of hot girls and cars?” Kyungsoo teased him. “I’m so disappointed.”

“My father likes to use things against people,” Chanyeol answered after rewarding him with a smile for his joke, “So, I learned early on to never let him know my real interests. It was best to not give him ammunition.”

“I hate your father so much,” Kyungsoo said, watching as Chanyeol pulled out some luggage from his walk-in closet.

Chanyeol put his hands on his hips and looked around the room.

“I have no idea what to take,” he admitted. “Clothes, I guess. Most of the stuff I care about is at my place in Japan.”

“That makes it simple enough,” Kyungsoo said, heading over to his drawers to open them. “Jackpot, I can check out your boxers collection now.”

“You have issues,” Chanyeol teased him, then handed him a carryon. “You can throw them in here.”

It felt nice, and oddly familiar, to spend the evening in Chanyeol’s room, helping him pack up and trying to get a glimpse into his daily life from simple things, like how he folded his clothes, his T-shirts folded twice and tossed in the drawer haphazardly.

At one point, Kyungsoo held up one of Chanyeol’s shirts to himself and asked him if he should wear it as a dress, causing Chanyeol to pretend to throw a hanger in his direction.

“Whatever, I’d like to see you wear one of my shirts,” Kyungsoo teased him.

“I wouldn’t be able to even get my arm through your sleeve,” Chanyeol snorted back.

Anything that didn’t fit in his luggage they sifted through instead, separating out the things Chanyeol still wanted from the things he didn’t mind leaving behind.

They decided they’d come back the next day with boxes to get the rest, and then Chanyeol would finally be able to close this chapter of his life.

Kyungsoo helped him get the luggage in his car, and Chanyeol made sure the front door was locked before they left.

They went to eat dinner, and then to Kyungsoo’s place where Chanyeol brought up only a duffel bag he had packed with overnight clothes and his toiletries.

Not having taken a shower that morning, they decided to take one together before bed, and spent the majority of it kissing and giving each other pleasurable and comforting touches.

When they were finally in bed together, naked and barely towel dried, Chanyeol shifted so he could look down at Kyungsoo, letting his fingers play with the lobe of Kyungsoo’s ear.

“I know I’m sad right now,” Chanyeol told him, “But I think, over time, being with you is going to make me really happy.”

“Take your time,” Kyungsoo told him, looking up at him. “I know it’s going to take a bit of time. I still don’t feel like I’ve been truly happy since my parents died. I’ve had happy moments, but overall, I still feel sad about it.”

“I never thought something this amazing would ever happen to me,” Chanyeol said, moving his fingers to Kyungsoo’s jaw. “Meeting someone that understood. Someone that seemed almost like they were put on this planet just for me.”

“It does feel that way,” Kyungsoo said, letting a small smile appear. “I wish I had met you sooner. Our parents knew each other. Isn’t that weird to think about?”

“Super weird,” Chanyeol agreed, his eyes widening a little at the thought. “But honestly, life is weirder than I even thought. I hung out with angels and demons. Nothing makes sense to me anymore.”

“I have a watcher protecting me,” Kyungsoo said with a chuckle. “Sense doesn’t exist.”

“You know what does make sense though?” Chanyeol said, letting his fingers run over Kyungsoo’s lips, “Me liking you.”

“That does make sense,” Kyungsoo agreed, kissing Chanyeol’s fingers. “Me liking you makes sense, too.”

Chanyeol leaned down to kiss him, and somehow, despite the sadness, and heaviness of loss, and general feelings of abandonment that neither of them could shake, they still had this desire for each other, to please each other, and to let the other know that they would be okay.

And while their nights of demon-inspired sex had been fun, the gentleness of the moment, with Chanyeol peppering soft kisses all over Kyungsoo’s neck, then his chest, then his belly, was just as fun. Maybe angels couldn’t have sex, but if they could, Kyungsoo imagined it was a lot like this, soft and light pleasure, in the simplest of ways.

Kyungsoo decided he wanted to play with Chanyeol’s body as well, sitting up to kiss him before shifting so that Chanyeol had to lie down and Kyungsoo could take his turn on giving Chanyeol’s body the soft attention his had been given.

Though neither of them kept track of time, there was a sense of timelessness as they both continued to explore each other in turn. It was almost as if time had stood still for them to allow them both to get as much enjoyment out of the other as possible, but when it finally had become too much, and their senses were on edge with excitement, Chanyeol reached over to the small makeshift nightstand by the bed and grabbed the small bottle of lube, then laughed.

“We’re almost out,” Chanyeol explained, as he showed it to Kyungsoo. “We haven’t had that much sex have we?”

“It’s the TSA’s fault,” Kyungsoo lamented. “I couldn’t bring the big bottle, so I had to put some in that small bottle. The TSA was hating on my libido.”

“To be fair, I don’t think a big bottle could keep up with your libido either,” Chanyeol said, opening the small bottle.

Kyungsoo slapped his arm in indignation but then laughed and said, “True.”

This time, instead of the rough thrusts, Chanyeol moved at a slow and gentle rhythm, letting Kyungsoo enjoy the sensation fully as his very large cock teased at his prostate, making him shudder each time.

All it took were gentle words from Chanyeol and a picked-up pace to make Kyungsoo combust completely, and he cried out in pleasure, as he finished himself off with a couple of quick tugs. Chanyeol came soon after and collapsed beside him, pulling him into his arms before he could even catch his breath.

When they had calmed down just enough, Chanyeol mentioned, “I can’t wait to do this on your queen-sized bed.”

“Sorry,” Kyungsoo said, breathing Chanyeol’s musk in, “I already ordered the king mattress. It’ll be waiting for us by the time we get there.”

“I can’t wait even more,” Chanyeol said, holding him closer.

Kyungsoo could wait, because this, right here, right now, in this twin bed, in this cramped little space, felt like everything Kyungsoo could possibly need.

***

It took a couple of days for Chanyeol to settle things with lawyers and accountants alike, and on the day before they were going to leave, Kyungsoo walked around the warehouse with all of Chanyeol’s antiques and tried to wrap his head around all of the events that had transpired since he had first stepped foot in it.

“You’re just lucky that I took Museum Studies as an elective and excelled in it,” Hye-jin said to Chanyeol as she walked from piece to piece with a tablet, tapping notes into it.

“You’re just lucky that he trusts my judgment,” Kyungsoo said with a grin in his cousin’s direction.

“That’s your first mistake,” Hye-jin said with her own grin as she glanced between them. “It’s going to take me months to go through everything, especially whatever’s in those crates.”

“Take as long as you need,” Chanyeol said. “I really can’t thank you enough for taking on this task.”

“She was a jobless bum,” Kyungsoo said, “Don’t thank her. You did her a favor.”

“As you know,” Hye-jin said, crouching down to take a better look at the base of a statue, “being a jobless bum runs in the family.”

“Ghost hunting is an honorable profession,” Kyungsoo scoffed.

“You don’t even get paid, loser,” she said, standing back up and tapping on her tablet again.

“And yet you wanted to work with me,” Kyungsoo reminded her.

“And yet you said there was no place for an artist in your work, but oops, here I am,” she said, very much winning that exchange.

“You’re so lucky to have each other,” Chanyeol said, watching them with fondness.

“Yeah, I guess,” Kyungsoo said, smiling at Hye-jin, who smiled back.

“So, I’m going to meet with some architects over the next few months,” Chanyeol told her, “And I’ll try and find the right person to create the right space for these. I would really like your input throughout the process.”

“You’ll have it,” she said. “I really do mean it when I say I’m thankful that you’re taking this chance on me. I will make sure everything is cared for and, when the time comes, displayed in the best ways.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeol said.

“Also,” Kyungsoo added, “if you need any help with doing research on these things, there are a bunch of old guys in the rare books department at the main library that might be able to help.”

“I’ll make sure and reach out to them,” Hye-jin said.

They left Hye-jin to work in peace and headed up to Namsan Tower once more.

This time they visited the landmark during the bright light of day, under a beautiful blue sky that afforded them the perfect opportunity to take selfies before getting down to business.

“Okay, what are we going to write on this lock?” Chanyeol said, taking the cap off the marker.

“We survived,” Kyungsoo said, not even joking.

“Maybe we can write that on the back,” Chanyeol said, turning the lock over to assess the space.

“Or maybe we can be conventional and put our initials and the date,” Kyungsoo said, looking at some of the other locks.

“Us? Conventional?” Chanyeol said, with a raised eyebrow.

Kyungsoo snickered, and Chanyeol grinned and shook his head at him.

“What about ‘The Keys’?” Chanyeol then asked.

Kyungsoo smiled and nodded, “I like that. Because it’s not just us, it’s also our mothers.”

Chanyeol nodded, and he wrote “The…” and then stopped and smiled wider at Kyungsoo, “The Twin Keys. Our mothers were both the twin keys while they were alive. It’s like they were best friends without ever knowing each other.”

Kyungsoo smiled wide as well, loving that concept.

“Write that,” Kyungsoo told him, “I love it. Write it. The Twin Keys.”

Chanyeol wrote it, and then on the back, Kyungsoo wrote his and Chanyeol’s initials, along with the initials of both of their mothers. They found a nice shaded area to put the lock and then took a picture of it alone, followed by a selfie with them and the lock.

“Oh look,” Chanyeol pointed to a cart as they headed back toward the path down, “It’s a cart that sells those sinful delicacies that go like this,” he said, making fun of Yeri as he did a spiral motion with his finger.

Kyungsoo laughed and changed their direction so they could go get potato tornadoes, enjoying them and each other’s company on their way back down to the cable car station.

***

“This song goes out to my guardian angel,” Baekhyun said, pointing up, “I love you, Yixing!”

The friends all groaned as Baekhyun started singing “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan, which Kyungsoo couldn’t believe was even an option at this _noraebang_.

“In the arrrrrrms of the angel. Fly away from here,” Baekhyun sang, very loudly and very off key, and Kyungsoo had to cover his ears.

Jongdae decided to grab the other mic and join him, as they both belted, “You’re in the arrrrrms of the angel. May you find some comfort here.”

Jongin smirked, and Kyungsoo hit his knee with his and told him to stop being so obvious about it.

“Is this a song from the sacred texts?” Yeri asked Junmyeon. She looked horrified by what she was witnessing.

“I don’t think so,” Junmyeon said, “but I’m not sure as I’m only on the fourth volume.”

“You have to hurry so we can discuss the ending,” Sehun said.

“Oh bless, it’s over,” Irene said as the last note was, theoretically, sung.

“Let’s do that one Girls Generation song that always makes Taemin laugh,” Seulgi said, getting up to take the microphone from Baekhyun.

“Yes, please,” Taemin said, getting up as well with a tambourine in his hand, “Wait, let me do the intro.”

As “I Got a Boy” started playing, Baekhyun came over to squeeze himself between Jongin and Kyungsoo, and he leaned his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder

“We have to do a song together,” Baekhyun told him, “After the room stops spinning.”

“I told you to stop drinking three shots ago,” Kyungsoo told him.

“But I’m having fuuuuun,” Baekhyun said, and then he laughed before he said, “Tell me Yixing’s final words to me again.”

“They’re not final, Baek. He’s still with you,” Kyungsoo pointed out, putting his arm around him and rubbing his arm.

“I know,” Baekhyun smiled, “You just have a good ASMR voice and I like to hear the words from you.”

“You’re so weird,” Kyungsoo told him, but then he told him again the words he wanted to hear, “He kissed your hand, and he said to tell you that even though he’s returned to where he belongs, he’s always protecting you.”

“Heee, hehe,” Baekhyun said, giggling to himself out loud. “He totally loved me, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“He’s my favorite non-ex ex,” Baekhyun said.

“I know it’ll take some time for you to get over him, but I bet someone amazing who can actually stay in this realm with you is right around the corner,” Kyungsoo said, glancing toward Jongdae who was using a bottle of soju as his microphone while he sang along with Seulgi and Taemin.

“I don’t know. Whoever it is will have to come up with a better way to impress me than saving my life by straddling me and looking hot while doing it,” Baekhyun said with another giggle.

“I can’t wait to see how that gets topped,” Kyungsoo said, snorting in amusement, and he looked toward Jongdae again then back at Baekhyun and smiled.

“Me either,” Baekhyun said, giving him a cheesy smile and then getting back up to try and do the last part of the dance with the three of them.

“Stop being so obvious about it,” Jongin said, hitting him with his knee in retaliation.

“It’s so hard,” Kyungsoo whined. “This is why angels shouldn’t give hints about the future.”

“They can’t help it,” Jongin shrugged, “Time doesn’t exist in their realm. To them the future is as factual as the present and the past.”

“I know, but still,” Kyungsoo sighed, and he leaned his head against Chanyeol’s shoulder, who was watching everything with pure amusement in a way that Kyungsoo had been sure Chanyeol hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

Kyungsoo looked over to see Jongin with his arm around Jennie, who cuddled into him much in the same way, smiling as she rested her hand on his thigh and watched the ridiculous entertainment courtesy of the friends in front of them.

It felt good that this was how they would spend their last night in Seoul. For some of them at least. Jongin was staying so he could spend more time with Jennie and get to know her better, confessing to Kyungsoo earlier in the day that he had never felt before the way he feels when he’s with her. Kyungsoo encouraged his best friend to stay and explore it further, happy that maybe, for the first time in his life, Jongin wouldn’t feel the need to find amusements because he’d finally have someone of his very own.

Sehun had no intentions of going back home anytime soon either, wanting to spend more time with Junmyeon and being there to help out as Junmyeon trained Yeri. “I feel like I need to protect her in a weird way,” Sehun had told Kyungsoo when they all had lunch together earlier.

“Like she’s your daughter?” Baekhyun had asked, and Jongdae had snorted.

“Huh,” Sehun had said, thinking about it, “She does kind of feel like a daughter.” Jongin had made a joke about Kyungsoo being unemployed and therefore being available for babysitting services, which had made everyone laugh.

Taemin had been excited that Jongin would be staying, and then he mentioned wanting to learn some things from Seulgi, which elicited a series of rather crude jokes from the rest of them that neither Taemin nor Seulgi seemed to care to protest.

Baekhyun, Jongdae, Irene, Kyungsoo, and Chanyeol would all be flying back on the same flight tomorrow, and had even managed to coordinate their seats so they were near each other. Kyungsoo realized that he missed home, and was more than happy to leave Seoul behind and head back to his quiet existence near the beach. He smiled and hugged Chanyeol tight as he thought about how lucky he was to be able to leave Seoul behind while bringing the best part of Seoul back with him.

***

“You were right,” Kyungsoo said into the phone as he sent a picture to his aunt of the twin brass boxes nestled into the built-in shelf in his living room, “The brass box, and its twin, are perfect in my minimalistic space.”

“I told you,” she said, “Oh, look at them. They are really beautiful.”

“Yeah, they’re a good fit,” he agreed.

“I can’t wait to see you when we visit at the end of summer,” his aunt then said. “I’m sending you all the love.”

“I’m sending all the love back to you guys, too,” Kyungsoo said, and then he hung up, smiling as he looked at the twin boxes again and not believing everything he had to go through to obtain them in the first place.

“Back,” Chanyeol said, coming in with a small plastic bag and a tray of coffee drinks. “I had an epiphany while I was walking back from the coffee shop.”

“And what was that?” Kyungsoo asked, giving him a quick peck on the lips and taking the coffees from him to set them on his small round dining table.

“We need a dog,” Chanyeol said. “Everyone in your neighborhood was outside walking a dog.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kyungsoo said, taking a sip of his coffee, “I’d been meaning to get one.”

“Let’s get two,” Chanyeol said, “I feel everything we do should be in pairs.”

He hugged Kyungsoo from behind, and Kyungsoo lifted Chanyeol’s cup up so Chanyeol could take a sip from it over his shoulder.

“I agree. We’ll get two matching dogs,” Kyungsoo said, and he put the coffees down so he could turn around and get on his tip toes to put his arms around Chanyeol’s neck. “Let’s go check out some rescues today.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, leaning down just enough to give him a kiss, “And maybe we should also check out some ghost hunting leads, too.”

“I retired, remember?” Kyungsoo said, looking up at his hopeful eyes.

“Yeah, but, after my tests, Jennie said I definitely have gifts that need to be honed.”

“You really believe that?” Kyungsoo asked, chuckling a little. “Maybe it’s just coincidence that you picked the right card each time.”

“No, I really felt it was the right card,” Chanyeol said, his eyes wide as if amazed all over again by the test and results.

“Fine,” Kyungsoo relented, finding that he wanted to give Chanyeol whatever he wanted, “We’ll find some baby hunts so you can hone your skills.”

“And yours too, right?” Chanyeol asked him. “Even if you didn’t pass her tests, you were able to see and hear things you shouldn’t.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo shrugged, “I just figured it was tied to the box. Now that the box spirit is gone, I’m pretty sure I won’t hear things anymore.”

“Only one way to find out, right?” Chanyeol asked with a smile.

Kyungsoo could feel Minseok smirking from a mile away. He supposed if he retired he’d just sit at home bored all day anyway, so he might as well keep doing it until he figured out a new hobby.

“Right,” Kyungsoo said, “But only simple, non-dangerous ones, okay?”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said with excitement, and he rewarded Kyungsoo with a kiss, then leaned down to pick Kyungsoo up, which made Kyungsoo throw his head back in laughter as he wrapped his legs around Chanyeol’s waist.

Chanyeol laughed as well, carrying Kyungsoo over to the king size bed that waited just for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! And thanks again to @thatksool and @exoismyproblem for doing the Beta thing even though they have more important things to do with their time. Y'all the realest. 
> 
> You can find me on Twitter @baeksesoolove


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